Be Connected Update

Network partners at a meetup in Perth

There’s been a lot happening throughout September for ASCCA’s SWADE Project (Be Connected), with a face to face meetup in Perth, Lead Digital Mentor refresher via Zoom and our first Digital Mentor training session for Round 8 (also face to face) in Perth …

We held our first face to face Digital Mentor training day for our latest Be Connected project recently, after launching the partnership via Zoom earlier in September. Natika also attended the first face to face, Be Connected, Network Partner Meetup while she was in Perth.

Megan from Rostrata and Natika standing outside in Perth
Jaxon and Natika meeting for the first time at the network partner meetup in Perth
Natika standing with Phillip both are smiling

Pictured above, Natika met with Megan from ASCCA Member Willetton Digital Technology Club for Over 50s, Jaxon, from Men’s Sheds WA who worked with ASCCA on the Four Peaks Be Connected project in 2020.21, and Phil from U3A, who attended a Digital Mentor training day via zoom under one of the previous SWADE projects. There were also other ASCCA members, and friends from various Community Resource Centres from around regional WA at the meetup.

The Network Partner meetup was organised by the Good Things Foundation team. It was the first chance for like-minded organisations to catch up face to face since before the pandemic. Many of the Network Partners in attendance are either friends of ASCCA, previous (SWADE Be Connected) project partners or ASCCA members. Despite all of our remote catch ups throughout the last few years – it was wonderful to be able to meet up again in person and see what network partners in the Perth area working on.

Natika smiling at the camera in front of the class of six new Digital Mentors, while they're all working on a task in the background

The first Round 8 Be Connected Digital Mentor training session, in partnership with AMaGA WA, was scheduled for the 22nd September. Unfortunately the announcement only a week prior, was for that date to become the public mourning day for HRH Queen Elizabeth II. A week prior was not enough time to reschedule the session within our window of opportunity (ie: Tik being in Perth), and considering the fact that a number of the new mentors are volunteers, we forged ahead as planned.

It meant we lost a few attendees, which was unfortunate, but we had a lovely group of six very dedicated volunteers from Perth based museums and preservation societies who were all actively engaged and enthusiastic about the support and mentoring roles they were building on for their organisations.

Our next training session will be in Darwin on 26th October. If you or anyone you know in Darwin, is interested in attending – you can find more event details in our Google Calendar – there’s a registration link to attend in there!

Two new digital mentors looking at a laptop screen with the Be Connected Topic Library on the screen

We are also working on securing dates and venues throughout November and early December in other locations throughout regional WA (Geraldton/Bunbury/Albany) – so please send an email through to our Lead Digital Mentor, Natika if you have an interest in attending one of these sessions!

Natika Hawes-Wright
ASCCA SWADE Lead Digital Mentor