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Happy 2009 Everyone. I hope the new year has got off to a great start at CAPsites across the province. At this point in the CAP year it is nice to share some success stories to inspire other sites and acknowledge the hard work of youth workers thus far. This issue will feature stories from networks 9, 10, 11 and 12. Enjoy :) ______________________________________________________________________________________________
SUCCESS STORIES
There have been many positive things to come out of the Douro-Dummer CAP site. Several members of the community have taken advantage of the computer access and have chosen to complete forms and orders online. Also many university students were in over the summer, to select classes, for example. Some patrons use the computers for banking and paying bills online, or for planning and ordering for vacations. In particular, there have been two occasions in which senior patrons chose to order their birth certificates online. With some assistance from myself, they managed to complete all the forms and submit their information, and they were very happy to let us at the library know when their birth certificates arrived at their houses very quickly. I have also done some informal one-on-one instruction in specific programs. For example, I have aided one patron in using Paint over several visits to the site, and this person is now able to create diagrams illustrating hypothetical scenarios involving gear ratios, to be accompanied by written explanations. Another patron was interested in learning about a program that might allow him to record live music on the computer. I helped him to research these types of programs, and learned quite a lot myself about how they work. He is now happily using a program to record his music. - Carolyn Pecoskie, Douro-Dummer CAP _____________________________________________________________________________________________
I have had a student for the past three months who started out as a complete computer novice. She is an elderly woman who had never used a computer before. She bought her computer with hopes of being able to stay in contact with her distant family members. This was good idea for her, but she didn't know where to begin. She came and saw me and we were able to work through many topics and she is now able to email letters, pictures, and share newspaper articles with her family. From novice to frequent user, she has learned a lot and keeps learning more. The sessions we've had have obviously helped her greatly and it makes me feel great. - Bryan York, Lakefield Library ______________________________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________________________ "Our Red Hill branch serves a large newcomer community - primarily South East Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European. Aside from language and educational barriers, there are often cultural barriers that must be addressed to successfully serve these groups. We worked with the local settlement organization and organized a series of small group computer classes for women – with a female CAP Youth Intern leading the class. This was very well received, and enabled these women to gain skills they could not have in a mixed group."- Hamilton Public Library ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Software SAM 2007
A new program has been tested and unveiled in late 2008 by Hong Ngo, who is the regional coordinator for networks 9, 10, and 11. He has encouraged his sites to implement the program called Skills Assessment Manager (SAM). The SAM program simulates the Microsoft Office environment, where students are trained by the programs hands-on tasks manager. The user gains experience working through a variety of modules which include specific assignments, tasks, and even test on entire modules, which can be be customized by the site administrators. Modules in the 2007 edition would include Word 2007, Excel 2007, Access 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Internet Explorer 7, Windows XP, and Outlook.
For more information click on the Web Link:
http://samcentral.course.com/sam_2007.cfm ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Have a success story? Take a minute to share the great programs that are taking place at your CAP site with the rest of Ontario, send your stories and photos to your Regional Co-ordinator. Stories and ideas will be shared, space permitting, in the upcoming Newsletters.  The Government of Canada provides funding for this initiative. |
I had four back to back sessions with eager participants right after Christmas. Most of them had booked a lesson because they had received a new computer for Christmas and had no idea what to do with it. I began with covering the basics with all the students, and sped up the learning accordingly. In one lesson, we spent an hour discussing how to turn on and log into the computer, and how to use a mouse. In others, we went much more in depth, exploring google search and introducing Microsoft Word. The clients I had all seemed to really enjoy the sessions and are now into uploading family photos from Christmas and sending them to their families. - Katelynn Nevin, Bridgenorth Library
"In October 2007 Ameera* and Shayla joined PCIC's CAP program and started attending workshops on a regular bases. Ameera and Shayla were both interested in finding employment in order to help their family with household bills, however due to the fact that they were not yet 15 years old, it was difficult for them to find work. The CAP Worker suggested that they volunteered their time in the neighborhood in order to build their resumes for when they were old enough to find employment. Ameera and Shayla started coming to CAP workshops on a regular basis and learned how to use the internet to find volunteer opportunities, and to use computer programs to make an effective resume. They even started volunteering their time to help the facilitator set up the rooms for workshops, and clean up afterwards.
Using the tools that they gained from the CAP workshops, along with their volunteering experiences in the community, Ameera and Shayla landed summer jobs as youth leaders at a local community organization last year. In the fall Ameera was accepted for a job as a cashier at her local grocery store, and a short time later Shayla was accepted for a job at a local fast food restaurant! Both Shayla and Ameera continue to volunteer their time in the community and are quickly building their resumes, as well as their reputations as youth leaders in Parkdale!"- Parkdale Community Information Centre (PCIC)
