Aboriginal Cyber Centre

Context
As the number of Canadians using the Internet and technology increases, the digital divide between connected and unconnected citizens is likely to grow increasingly wider. The Aboriginal Cyber Centre was established to teach information technology skills to Aboriginal young people and keep them from being left behind in the technology race.

Program Description
Setting up the Aboriginal Cyber Centre required a great deal of effort on the part of Larry Wucherer, a Winnipeg Aboriginal worker. It was a tough fight to find funding, but the Centre received financial support from the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada, the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba through the Community Access Program.

At the Cyber Centre, young Aboriginal people have access to a computer lab where they can surf the Internet and use the various software programs that are available. The Centre also prepares the young people for the job market in the technology field by providing computer hardware and software training.

Successes/Challenges
The Centre is a resounding success: other organizations are asking Mr. Wucherer for help to set up similar centres. The early stages were hard for Mr. Wucherer, though, as he met with a number of refusals from funding agencies and organizations that could have provided support for his project. However, armed with the knowledge that he had an excellent project, he persevered and managed to find funds to launch his project and hire six Aboriginal young people.

http://www.abcentre.org

These best practices are an excellent way of sharing your experiences with other organizations in the voluntary sector. If you also have positive experiences on the use of technology in the voluntary sector, the IM-IT Secretariat will be pleased to post your stories. Please contact the IM/IT Secretariat by e-mail at imit@ic.gc.ca.