Inspiration, Leadership and Achievement recognised in Digital Awards _ _ Cydnabod Ysbrydoliaeth, Arweinyddiaeth a Chyflawniad yn y Gwobrau Digidol

Community groups, volunteers, social enterprises and individuals have been recognised in the Communities 2.0 Celebration of Achievement Awards 2015 which were held this Thursday (Thursday 26^th February).

Hosted by the Welsh Government’s Communities 2.0 programme, the Celebration of Achievement Awards acknowledge and celebrate individuals, organisations and partnerships that have made the best of the opportunity to work with Communities 2.0 and help create a more digital Wales. The awards ceremony was hosted by Maggie Philbin, and Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, presented the awards to the winners.

Digital inclusion has come a long way in Wales since the launch of the Communities 2.0 programme in 2009. Local authorities, housing associations, community and voluntary groups and small enterprises have embedded digital technology within their day to day activities. The use of technology such as tablet devices and smart phones has revolutionised the way people get online to access information and services. Universal Jobmatch has made it essential for job seekers to have digital skills, The Awards recognise the developments and improvements that have been made in the field of digital inclusion.

Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty commented:

“I am pleased to have had the opportunity to hear so many positive examples of digital inclusion support during the Communities 2.0 awards.Over the lifetime of the programme, its staff, partners and volunteers have helped more than 59,000 individuals across Wales to save money, search for work and improve their lives through digital technologies.

“Building on the legacy of Communities 2.0 and improving digital inclusion across Wales will enable even more peopleto access the benefits of being online”.

Individual Achievement Award

67 year old Norman Porter is a resident at a Sheltered Complex in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Norman attended RCT Homes’ Do IT training session in 2011 with little knowledge and confidence, but he wanted to find out more.Norman’s confidence soon grew, along with his knowledge of everything technological.He soon became the ‘go to guy’ in the complex for anything technical. Norman is an excellent example of how someone who knew very little about computers can gain knowledge, confidence, new friends and a sense of fulfilment from digital technology.

Inspirational Tutor Award

Scott Tandy works for Newydd Housing Association, delivering its digital inclusion programme as part of Get the Vale Online. In this role, Scott works with both old and young people, providing them with the skills and knowledge to use ICT. Scott saw the importance of making IT support available to the wider community and decided to deliver weekly courses so delegates could learn how to use Word, social media and email. Scott has also helped set up a Digital Champions Network locally, inspiring volunteers to gain new skills and knowledge.

Inspirational Volunteer Award

Ian Harland volunteers twice a week in Milford Haven Library, supporting local unemployed people to develop skills so they can search and apply for jobs. Ian also delivers the basic First Click course in the Library to help older people get online.He has built up a reputation of being the best person to support people. People ask for him specifically as they have been told by friends and family about his excellent teaching skills and knowledge.Without Ian’s support, many job seekers in Milford Haven would be without the skills to search and apply for jobs online.

Community and Voluntary Group Award

PATCH (Pembrokeshire Action To Combat Hardship)is a charity that provides food parcels, clothing and other items to individuals and families in financial difficulty within Pembrokeshire.Following its ICT Review, PATCH re-developed its website and implemented a social media strategy allowing it to make urgent requests for food donations. Microsoft Office training enabled PATCH to manage all areas of its business better, from accounts to marketing to collaborative funding bids. Recently, demand for its services has nearly tripled. Without the strengthened ICT capacity, PATCH believes it would have been unable to meet this demand so successfully.

Communities 2.0 Enterprise Award

The Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) is a social enterprise based in Llandarcy. It is one of the UK’s leading providers of ‘real life’ web accessibility testing services. An ICT Review and subsequent investment by Communities 2.0 in 2011 acted as a catalyst for the impressive growth it has experienced in the last 4 years. It enabled DAC to develop its ICT infrastructure, allowing it to provide a high value, professional service to clients. It now employs 20 staff and is developing expansion plans in Australia, as well as further bases in the UK.

Digital Leadership Award

Launched in 2012, Get Caerphilly Online was an initiative set up to help residents of Caerphilly Borough to get more out of digital technologies, by providing free computer sessions. Led by Caerphilly County Borough Council, it bought together Communities 2.0, Get IT Together, United Welsh Housing Association, Charter Housing, Care & Repair Caerphilly and Friends IT, in a partnership that has outlasted the original Communities 2.0 support.Since 2012, it has supported 4400 people to use IT and provided valuable work experience to 80 volunteers, 9 of whom have found full time employment. It created Digital Fridays – a scheme where help with the internet and digital technology is given at any library across the County Borough every Friday. The scheme has been hugely successful and has been replicated across several Welsh counties and into England, including a London borough.

Cathryn Marcus, Project Director or Communities 2.0 commented,

“Congratulations to all our deserving winners.

“In these awards we have been able to recognise the very best organisations, partnerships and individuals and we have celebrated some of those people whose lives have been transformed by using digital technology.

“Since 2009, the Communities 2.0 project has enlisted nearly 600 volunteers and helped nearly 60,000 people to make the most of digital technology and the benefits of being online.None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the staff teams of the Communities 2.0 delivery partners, our Digital Champion volunteers, tutors and the national and regional organisations who have supported us in taking this important work forward”.

The Communities 2.0 Celebration of Achievement Awards were the culmination of a conference which celebrated the impact of the Welsh Government’s unique six year Communities 2.0 digital inclusion programme. The Communities 2.0 Conference ran from Wednesday 25th to Thursday 26th February at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff.

The Conference featured key note speeches from the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths AM and well known digital inclusion activist Dr Sue Black.

Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme that is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

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Cydnabod Ysbrydoliaeth, Arweinyddiaeth a Chyflawniad yn y Gwobrau Digidol

Mae grwpiau cymunedol, gwirfoddolwyr, mentrau cymdeithasol ac unigolion wedi cael eu cydnabod yng Ngwobrau Dathlu Cyflawniad 2015 Cymunedau 2.0, a gynhaliwyd ddydd Iau (dydd Iau, 26 Chwefror).

Wedi’u cynnal gan raglen Cymunedau 2.0 Llywodraeth Cymru, mae Gwobrau Dathlu Cyflawniad yn cydnabod a dathlu unigolion, sefydliadau a phartneriaethau sydd gwneud y mwyaf o’r cyfle i weithio gyda Cymunedau 2.0 ac sydd wedi helpu i greu Cymru fwy digidol. Arweiniwyd y seremoni wobrwyo gan Maggie Philbin, a chyflwynodd Lesley Griffiths AC, y Gweinidog Cymunedau a Threchu Tlodi, y gwobrau i’r enillwyr.

Mae cynhwysiant digidol wedi datblygu llawer yng Nghymru ers lansio rhaglen Cymunedau 2.0 yn 2009. Mae awdurdodau lleol, cymdeithasau tai, grwpiau cymunedol a gwirfoddol, a mentrau bach wedi mewnosod technoleg ddigidol yn eu gweithgareddau dydd i ddydd. Mae defnyddio technoleg fel dyfeisiau llechen a ffonau clyfar wedi chwyldroi’r ffordd y mae pobl yn mynd ar-lein i gyrchu gwybodaeth a gwasanaethau. Mae Universal Jobmatch wedi’i gwneud hi’n hanfodol i geiswyr gwaith gael sgiliau digidol. Mae’r Gwobrau’n cydnabod y datblygiadau a’r gwelliannau sydd wedi cael eu gwneud ym maes cynhwysiant digidol.

Dywedodd Lesley Griffiths AC, y Gweinidog Cymunedau a Threchu Tlodi:

"Rwy’n falch o fod wedi cael y cyfle i glywed am gymaint o enghreifftiau cadarnhaol o gymorth cynhwysiant digidol yn ystod gwobrau Cymunedau 2.0. Dros gyfnod y rhaglen, mae ei staff, ei phartneriaid a’i gwirfoddolwyr wedi helpu mwy na 59,000 o unigolion ledled Cymru i arbed arian, chwilio am waith a gwella eu bywydau trwy dechnolegau digidol.

"Bydd adeiladu ar etifeddiaeth Cymunedau 2.0 a gwella cynhwysiant digidol ledled Cymru yn galluogi hyd yn oed mwy o bobl i gael mynediad at fuddion bod ar-lein".

Gwobr Cyflawniad Unigol

Mae Norman Porter, 67 oed, yn byw mewn Llety Gwarchod yn Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Mynychodd Norman sesiwn hyfforddi Do IT Cartrefi RCT yn 2011, gyda fawr ddim gwybodaeth a hyder, ond roedd eisiau darganfod mwy. Yn fuan iawn, tyfodd hyder Norman, ynghyd â’i wybodaeth am bopeth technegol. Ymhen fawr o dro, ef oedd y dyn i fynd ato yn y llety ar gyfer unrhyw beth technegol. Mae Norman yn enghraifft wych o sut gall rhywun a oedd yn gwybod fawr ddim am gyfrifiaduron, ennill gwybodaeth, hyder, ffrindiau newydd a boddhad o dechnoleg ddigidol.

Gwobr Tiwtor Ysbrydoledig

Mae Scott Tandy yn gweithio i Gymdeithas Tai Newydd, yn cyflwyno ei rhaglen cynhwysiant digidol fel rhan o Dewch Ar-lein y Fro. Yn y rôl hon, mae Scott yn gweithio gyda hen bobl a phobl ifanc, yn darparu’r sgiliau a’r wybodaeth sydd eu hangen arnynt i ddefnyddio TGCh. Gwelodd Scott bwysigrwydd gwneud cymorth TG ar gael i’r gymuned ehangach, a phenderfynodd gyflwyno cyrsiau wythnosol er mwyn i bobl allu dysgu sut i ddefnyddio Word, y cyfryngau cymdeithasol ac e-bost. Mae Scott wedi helpu i sefydlu Rhwydwaith Hyrwyddwyr Digidol yn lleol hefyd, gan ysbrydoli gwirfoddolwyr i ennill sgiliau a gwybodaeth newydd.

Gwobr Gwirfoddolwr Ysbrydoledig

Mae Ian Harland yn gwirfoddoli ddwywaith yr wythnos yn Llyfrgell Aberdaugleddau, yn cynorthwyo pobl leol ddi-waith i ddatblygu sgiliau er mwyn iddyn nhw allu chwilio ac ymgeisio am swyddi. Mae Ian hefyd yn cyflwyno cwrs sylfaenol First Click yn y Llyfrgell i helpu pobl hŷn i fynd ar-lein. Mae wedi meithrin enw da fel yr unigolyn gorau i gynorthwyo pobl. Mae pobl yn gofyn amdano’n benodol, gan fod ffrindiau a theulu wedi dweud wrthynt am ei wybodaeth a’i sgiliau addysgu ardderchog. Heb gymorth Ian, byddai nifer o geiswyr gwaith yn Aberdaugleddau heb y sgiliau i chwilio ac ymgeisio am swyddi ar-lein.

Gwobr Grŵp Cymunedol a Gwirfoddol

Mae PATCH (Gweithredu yn Erbyn Caledi Sir Benfro) yn elusen sy’n darparu parseli bwyd, dillad ac eitemau eraill i unigolion a theuluoedd ag anhawster ariannol yn Sir Benfro. Yn dilyn adolygiad TGCh, ailddatblygodd PATCH ei wefan a gweithredu strategaeth y cyfryngau cymdeithasol a oedd yn caniatáu iddo wneud ceisiadau brys am roddion bwyd. Yn sgil hyfforddiant Microsoft Office, bu modd i PATCH reoli pob agwedd ar ei fusnes yn well, o gyfrifon i farchnata i geisiadau ar y cyd am gyllid. Yn ddiweddar, mae’r galw am ei wasanaethau wedi bron treblu. Heb y gallu TGCh cryfach, mae PATCH o’r farn na fyddai wedi gallu ateb y galw hyn mor llwyddiannus.

Gwobr Menter Cymunedau 2.0

Mae’r Ganolfan Hygyrchedd Digidol yn fenter gymdeithasol yn Llandarsi. Mae’n un o ddarparwyr blaenllaw’r DU o wasanaethau profi hygyrchedd y we ‘go iawn’. Fe wnaeth Adolygiad TGCh a buddsoddiad dilynol gan Cymunedau 2.0 yn 2011 weithredu fel catalydd ar gyfer ei thwf rhyfeddol yn ystod y 4 blynedd ddiwethaf. Mae wedi galluogi i’r Ganolfan Hygyrchedd Digidol ddatblygu ei isadeiledd TGCh, a chaniatáu iddi ddarparu gwasanaeth broffesiynol, gwerth uchel, i gleientiaid. Mae bellach yn cyflogi 20 aelod o staff ac mae wrthi’n datblygu cynlluniau ehangu yn Awstralia, yn ogystal â chanolfannau eraill yn y DU.

Gwobr Arweinyddiaeth Ddigidol

Lansiwyd Dewch Ar-lein Caerffili yn 2012, ac roedd yn fenter a sefydlwyd i helpu preswylwyr Bwrdeistref Caerffili i wneud y mwyaf o dechnolegau digidol, trwy ddarparu sesiynau cyfrifiadur rhad ac am ddim. Dan arweiniad Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili, unodd Cymunedau 2.0, Get IT Together, Cymdeithas Tai Unedig Cymru, Charter Housing, Gofal a Thrwsio Caerffili a Friends IT, mewn partneriaeth sydd wedi para’n hwy na chymorth gwreiddiol Cymunedau 2.0. Ers 2012, mae wedi cynorthwyo 4,400 o bobl i ddefnyddio TG ac wedi darparu profiad gwaith gwerthfawr i 80 o wirfoddolwyr, ac mae 9 ohonynt wedi dod o hyd i gyflogaeth amser llawn. Sefydlodd Dydd Gwener Digidol – sef cynllun lle rhoddir help gyda’r rhyngrwyd a thechnoleg ddigidol mewn unrhyw llyfrgell ar draws y Bwrdeistref Sirol bob ddydd Gwener. Mae’r cynllun wedi bod yn hynod llwyddiannus ac mae wedi cael ei ail-greu ar draws sawl sir yng Nghymru a Lloegr, gan gynnwys bwrdeistref yn Llundain.

Dywedodd Cathryn Marcus, Cyfarwyddwr Prosiect Cymunedau 2.0,

“Llongyfarchiadau i’n holl enillwyr haeddiannol.

“Yn y gwobrau hyn, rydym ni wedi gallu cydnabod y sefydliadau, y partneriaethau a’r unigolion gorau oll, ac rydym ni wedi dathlu rhai o’r bobl hynny sydd wedi trawsffurfio eu bywydau yn sgil defnyddio technoleg ddigidol.

“Ers 2009, mae prosiect Cymunedau 2.0 wedi cofrestru bron 600 o wirfoddolwyr ac wedi helpu bron 60,000 o bobl i wneud y mwyaf o dechnoleg ddigidol a buddion bod ar-lein. Ni fyddai hyn wedi bod yn bosibl heb waith caled ac ymroddiad timau o staff partneriaid cyflwyno Cymunedau 2.0, ein Hyrwyddwyr Digidol gwirfoddol, tiwtoriaid a’r sefydliadau cenedlaethol a rhanbarthol sydd wedi ein cefnogi ni i ddatblygu’r gwaith pwysig hwn”.

Gwobrau Dathlu Cyflawniad Cymunedau 2.0 oedd diweddglo cynhadledd a fu’n dathlu effaith Cymunedau 2.0, rhaglen cynhwysiant digidol unigryw chwe blynedd Llywodraeth Cymru. Cynhaliwyd Cynhadledd Cymunedau 2.0 o ddydd Mercher, 25 Chwefror i ddydd Iau, 26 Chwefror, yn Stadiwm SWALEC yng Nghaerdydd.

Roedd y Gynhadledd yn cynnwys prif areithiau gan y Gweinidog Cymunedau a Threchu Tlodi, Lesley Griffiths AC, a’r gweithredydd cynhwysiant digidol adnabyddus, Dr Sue Black.

Mae Cymunedau 2.0 yn rhaglen Llywodraeth Cymru a ariennir yn rhannol gan Gronfa Datblygu Rhanbarthol Ewrop.