Social innovation is in the mouths of many today, at policy level and on the ground. It is not new as such: people have always tried to find new solutions for pressing social needs. But a number of factors have spurred its development recently. Social media have brought about fast changes in how people communicate with each other, but also in how they relate to the public sphere. Citizens and groups can act more quickly and directly, in a participative way. This is also a part of the explanation of why social innovation is gaining speed.
Social Innovation within the ICT (Information Communication Technology) environment will allow communities to grow in creativity and realize their potential to become tech entrepreneurs.
IT Technical Practical With Dimension Data
Dimension Data, a reputable IT company in Cape Town, offered IT-Work Readiness Training for IT Technician students. Students learnt about troubleshooting network cabling and network configuration on a client-server infrastructure.
Connect Africa Summit 2018 (Durban)
Extensia’s 5th annual Connect-to-Connect (C2C) Africa Summit, repositioned as the Connect Africa Summit (CAS) 2018, in Durban, South Africa this month with a two-day lineup of 12 keynotes, 7 panels and 2 workshops. The participants represented 102 organisations from across 26 countries. Llewellyn Scholtz spoke on “Digital Communities” using the I-CAN Model as a basis. As the most discussions revolved around connectivity, Llewellyn placed extreme emphasis on “building value using infrastructure” Click Here for Full Report of the event.
G-CITI CAMPUS Open Day
An Open Day was held in late June 2018 to inform potential youth of tertiary studies with the I-CAN. An emphasis was placed on international course certifications, and the rapid employment that takes place once studies are completed with G-CITI Campus at the I-CAN Centre.
G-CITI CAMPUS Graduation 2018
Graduation was held in March 2018. Students from previous semester (Aug 2017- Feb 2018) graduated in Office Admin, IT Technician and IT Web Specialist. Graduations in communities are the epitome of achievement! It brings value to the organization and contributes greatly in student confidence and self-efficacy.
G-CITI CAMPUS Orientation Day
Orientation Day was hosted to inform new students of campus operations, class time tables and receiving stationery! The focus of the Orientation Day was to officially welcome students to the I-CAN G-CITI Family. As many students face personal challenges, the I-CAN ensures that students feel accepted through active engagements.
WCED - Cyber Safety Workshop
The I-CAN Centre staff empowered Teachers at CTLI KuilsRiver with Cyber Safety aspects for Classroom environment in May 2018. This was in partnership with the E-Learning Department of WCED.
Work - Readiness Program (Harambee)
Employability skills have become a major concern for corporates before employing graduates. Employability Skills can be defined as the transferable skills needed by an individual to make them ‘employable’. Along with good technical understanding and subject knowledge, employers often outline a set of skills that they want from an employee. As the I-CAN students gain international certification in either Technical or Developer Skills, the need for employability skills are emphasized through workshops. Harambee, an employment accelerator, partnered with the I-CAN Centre in offering Work-Readiness Skills to its students.
CV Update & Interview Skills (Bounchback)
he I-CAN Centre in partnership with Bounceback Community offered “Interview Skills” to unemployed youth. Thirty five (35) candidates were empowered with these skills. CVs were also collected during the 2-day program from BounceBack. After the program, Shannon Fortune, I-CAN Office Admin student, obtained a learner-ship at WCG Social Development in Goodwood as a Data Capturer.
I-CAN Youth Day
The I-CAN Centre celebrated YOUTH DAY on the 15th June 2018 and launched the I-CAN YOUTH Project where unemployed youth directly engage with job placement companies. More than 200 CVs were printed as part of the project in supporting unemployed youth on the 15th. These CV’s were issued directly to employment accelerators attending the I-CAN Youth Day. Click Here for Full Report – Click Here to see Video Impact
2-Day Web Course
The 2-Day Web Design course offered citizens to build their own website for their company / organization or church. The course focused on installing Content Management Software online. Citizens were empowered to create their own artwork and upload it to their website. The project was completed as each participant showcased their online website. Additional modules were covered such as Basic Graphic Design, Digital Marketing and a Digital Newsletter Creation Click here
UWC Cyber Security Short Course
UWC Colab facilitated a course in “Cyber Security” for citizens. As the course is still in beta-phase, input from the community with regards to cyber-challenges were of utmost importance in finalizing the content of the course. Primary and High School students, including parents participated in the program Click here to see Facebook Album.
Recording Studio Projects
Music and the creative arts are part of the joy of humanity; but are they too often overlooked in education, in favour of the more ‘useful’ subjects such as science and mathematics? There is undoubtedly increasing pressure on young people and schools to achieve outstanding exam results – but fortunately many can still see the value of creativity. The I-CAN Recording Studio empowers young talent to express themselves through music and arts. Click here to listen and view a track recording composed at the I-CAN Centre
I-CAN Gaming Day Competition
The aim of the Gaming Project is to bring youth together from different disadvantage communities and compete with one another on various gaming platforms. This sport is a stimuli for change for youth. The gaming project addresses various community challenges being faced and direct youth towards a brighter future beyond what they face on a daily basis. The outcome of the project is to bring awareness to youth to participate in playing games online and start generating an income with their potential. The Gaming Day Competition took place on the 1st April 2017.
See Facebook Link – Click here | See Newspaper Article- Click here | See Newspaper Web Link – Click here
3D Printing Project
Most people are intrigued by 3D Printing, but that interest doesn’t get any further than to how relevant it is to industry. For one thing, 3D printers are expensive; for another, many people just aren’t aware of the resources available to learn about the technology. Even where classes are available, interested individuals can be deterred by the cost. The I-CAN in partnership with College of Cape Town offered a course in 3D Printing. Students learnt how to conceptualize concepts through design thinking and transform their concepts into tangible objects. See Facebook Album
Mobile App Development Project
The traditional pen-and-pencil system presents tons of barriers to student access and connection, whether it be the plight of a master narrative, language disconnect, etc. By instilling adept digital skills, students can break through these “walls” and become producers of knowledge. The mobile app development project allows learners to build a mobile app that is based on their creativity and innovation. This course was offered from Aug to Sept. See Facebook Album
I-CAN 4 NPO'S HOPE Cape Town (NPO)
The I-CAN Team had the opportunity of empowering these workers (HOPE SA) with technology to help them change lives in the community through technology. They learned how to work in the following programmes:
Word Basic, PowerPoint Basic, Image Editing, Google Docs and Google Calendar.
