Hon.Steve Blackett (left) receiving the Sponsorship Cheque from LIME Managing Director, Alex McDonald.
ITS for Teens 2012 Programme launched
7/15/2012
“The computer technology programme at its very minimum, instills greater confidence, provides hope as well as another chance for individual advancements and strengthens intergenerational linkages,” stated the Hon. Steve Blackett, Minister of Social Care, Constitu-ency Empowerment and Community Development, as he spoke at the recent launch of the ITS for Teens 2012 Programme.
As explained by Blackett, the Community based ICT training had been introduced to the masses to ensure computer literacy among adults, however, it was soon made clear that an ICT special program would also have to be introduced for teens during the summer recesses, due to the “increasing emphasis being placed on the development of our youth, as well as the recognition of the many social and educational challenges that they face,” and thus ITS for Teens was created in 2009.
The LIME Telecommunications company that had partnered with the Community Development Department, in 2010, in order to implement the program for another year, was lauded at the ceremony for their continued sponsorship and support for the programme which is now celebrating its fourth anniversary.
Noting that the Community Develop-ment Department was committed to supporting the worthwhile programme, he acknowledged that through another partnership, this time with the Barbados Entrepreneurial Foundation (BEF) Barbados would be able to properly develop their computer based skills.
“The response of this programme is always good, it allows for children from all different communities to work together and to share their ideas. In addition the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empower-ment and Community Development has gone one step further through another valuable partnership this time with the Barbados Entrepreneurial Foun-dation in making internet connectivity available through the establishment of the WIFI internet connections at our 16 resource centres and at seven of our remaining community centres,” he revealed.
“We are strongly committed to sustaining our contribution at the community level and eliminating the digital divide, in order to assist in making Barbados far more dynamic, entrepreneurial and competitive globally, starting at the community level. It is expected that the free WIFI hotspots around the island will also play a major role in helping Barbadians to use and further develop their IT skills,” he stated. (AC)
