Happy New Year! Welcome to 2010!
With the program now fully underway, it is time to share our resources, ideas and success stories with the rest of the province. If any sites have any promotional materials please submit them to your RC, or if there any resources that have helped throughout a CAP placement please post them on the cybercamp wiki. Each month the newsletter will feature different CAP sites from around the province to help celebrate achievements made through CAP and to inspire other sites to create fun and interesting programs. Make sure you are also checking out the resources available on the Cybercamp Wiki and posting your questions and comments to the Webboard. ENJOY!
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Making Ontario Accessible
As an initiative of her own, a regional co-ordinator that works with CAP, Hayley Peglar, has taken on working with The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) was designed to create comprehensive accessibility standards in all areas of daily life that will ultimately lead to an accessible Ontario in 2025. It requires businesses, public sector organizations (CAP sites!), municipalities and the provincial government to develop, implement and enforce mandatory accessibility standards. As of January 2010, all organizations designated by the AODA are responsible for fulfilling the requirements of the Customer Service Standard, and must file reports by the March 2010 deadline.
How does the AODA impact CAP sites? The purpose of the act is to make daily life more accessible to persons with disabilities. CAP shares a similar goal, its aim being to bridge the digital divide in order to ensure fair and equal access to the benefits of technology. Much like other barriers, including low income or a lack of education, different disabilities can prevent individuals from accessing technology. For this reason, it is crucial that CAP sites are in compliance with the standards set out by the AODA.
For more information on the AODA, visit “Access ON: Breaking Barriers Together”, the Ministry of Community and Social Services. You can also check out the “Accessibility” page of the CyberCamp Wiki, where the youth intern from North Grenville Public Library has posted some helpful information.
It has been an eventful few months for Matthew Hall at the Brock Township Public Library - Cannington CAP site. He recently reviewed the libraries website and made suggestions on areas that need to be changed for compliance with the new Accessibility Act coming into effect this January. He has been updating all of the computers with the latest anti-virus software and removing all of the unwanted or unused programs. While going through the system he has discovered, repaired and removed many broken file paths and errors. This has been a challenge but he is happy to report that the network is running beautifully now.
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Tips for the Job Search
 As a youth intern, you may run into helping clients and patrons on the job search. Below is a couple helpful tips and ideas you can suggest to make their search a little easier.
What is in a good résumé and cover letter?
A résumé is you on paper. Having a good résumé can increase your odds of landing a job greatly. Start by having a neat and concise résumé that tells employers of your job objectives, previous employment (both paid and unpaid) as well as education level. This will tell the potential employer of your strengths and your previous experience and what you hope to gain. Do not include interests or hobbies unless they directly related to the job you are applying for. Be sure to have a couple people proofread it to double check for spelling and grammatical errors. This is likely the most important thing, because employers will often throw your résumé out before they even get a chance to meet you. Tailor your cover letter to the specific employer. Make yourself stand out by highlighting why you would be a great candidate for the position.
You have landed the interview. What now?
Before the interview begins, practice answering interview questions and practice your responses to the typical job interview questions and answers most employers ask. Prepare actual answers you would use in those cases. Think of examples from your past experiences that you could share with the interviewer to show your strengths. Research the company and try and integrate what you find with how your experiences would make you a good match. Arrive early to the interview (but not too early!) as well as neatly dressed and appropriate for the type of job you are interviewing for. Stay calm and relaxed and maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the questions the interviewer asks carefully.
The interview went well. How do I make myself really stand out from the group?
Always send a thank you note to your interviewer thanking them for their time and to follow up. This will show your potential employer of your interest in the job.
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Different Techniques, Same Results
A couple weeks ago, Briana Steinke had a few people return for more training sessions at the Massey and Township Public Library. She had a few new people come in as well. It was the library's 30th anniversary so she presented a special slideshow. Afterwards there was time to mingle, so she showed some people a basic introduction on using Microsoft PowerPoint. Most of them felt it was a lot of work just to make a slideshow out of pictures. One woman thought it would be nice to present her pictures for her nature study group using PowerPoint. After we went through it, she thought it might be too much work. Briana then showed her a simple way to do it where you just put the pictures you want to show in a folder then it plays as a slideshow. The woman thought it was neat and was going to try this method for her next meeting.
______________________________________________________________________________________________ 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.
Find a great resource? Share it with your Regional Co-ordinator.
The Government of Canada provides funding for this initiative. |
