Second chance to catch the Communities 2.0 Celebration of Achievement Conference and Awards

• Conference will be live streamed on the web on http://www.communities2point0.org.uk/conference-2015

All the tickets have been sold and the votes have all been counted but it’s not too late to experience at least some of the Communities 2.0 Celebration of Achievement Conference and Awards this week.

The Communities 2.0 Celebration of Achievement Conference and Awards takes place on Wednesday 25^th and Thursday 26^th February at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff. The event will be live streamed on the web, allowing people with an interest in digital inclusion from all over the world to view the keynote speeches and some of the plenary sessions.

Coverage will start on Wednesday with Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty’s opening keynote speech. It will then cover the morning ‘Digital Inclusion: Best Practice in the Community’ breakout session and a keynote speech from Dr Sue Black, a well known digital inclusion activist. This will be followed by a further breakout session, ‘Digital Inclusion skills for frontline staff’. The day will conclude with a plenary session on the Communities 2.0 programme.

On Thursday, the streamed coverage will include an introduction from Derek Walker of the Wales Co-operative Centre, a breakout session, ‘Affordable broadband for social housing’ and a keynote speech from Matt Chilcott.

Andrew Jacobs from the Digital Inclusion Unit of Welsh Government will close the conference with a discussion on the future of Digital Inclusion in Wales.

The Conference also incorporates a Celebration of Achievements Awards event which is hosted by television personality and advocate of science and technology in education, Maggie Philbin. The awards will celebrate those individuals, organisations and partnerships that have excelled in the journey to creating a more digital Wales. The Awards will be broadcast online from 11.45am on Thursday 26^th.

The streamed coverage will also be available to view on the Communities 2.0 You Tube channel at a later date, with material from some of the other breakout sessions also available to view after the event.

Digital Inclusion has come a long way in Wales since the launch of the Welsh Government’s Communities 2.0 programme in 2009. Organisations such as local authorities, housing associations, community and voluntary groups and social 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.

Communities 2.0 was tasked with supporting communities to make the most of digital technology and the internet. It has been part funded by European Regional Development Funding.