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PRINCE GEORGE – A community learning centre developed by the Tl'azt'en Nation, UBC Faculty of Medicine and the Province has received $180,000 to improve the health and technological capacity of the rural community of Tache, Management Services Minister Joyce Murray announced today.
"This project is an exciting example of how we are working with First Nations and rural communities to bridge the digital divide and improve access to important services like health care and education," Murray said. "The Tache Community Learning Centre is a place where local First Nations families can learn to use high-speed Internet technology to enhance access to self-care resources for management of chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes-related illnesses."
The Community Learning Centre project was led by the Tl'azt'en Nation, in partnership with the Ministry of Management Services and the division of Continuing Medical Education at the University of British Columbia. The centre is a model for applying and sharing high-speed Internet technology to use a portfolio of local e-services, such as health information, distance education and future telehealth programs.
"Almost four years ago, our leadership directed us to see how information and communications technologies could improve conditions in our community and increase opportunities for our people -- particularly our youth," said Deborah Page, project leader for the centre. "We developed a plan that identified community-based priorities and described how we, as a Nation, might cross this digital divide. Our partnership with the ministry, the CME Division of UBC's Faculty of Medicine and Telus is a concrete step toward achieving new access to health information and health services and for improving community wellbeing. The first phase of the Tl'azt'en Learning Circle has enabled our youth to use new technologies. We look forward to expanding this service and its benefits in Phase II of the Tl'azt'en Learning Circle."
"UBC Faculty of Medicine Division of CME is very excited to be involved in this innovative Community Learning Centre model," said Dr. Kendall Ho, associate dean of the faculty. "We are delighted to be able to collaborate with the elders in Tache to share knowledge and make it available on the Internet, and work with the youth in Tache to build the web portal. We see the wonderful possibility of using this broadband connectivity and web portal established by this initiative for future e-health and e-learning opportunities."
The first phase of the project, which received a $70,000 contribution from the ministry last year, involved building local community capacity by bringing information and communications technology to the community and training seven youth to use it.
The youth learned to develop local web content. Other partners key to the success of the first phase of the project include Telus, who provided one year of free Internet service to the centre, Industry Canada, who provided $15,000 and the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Education and Training Association, who provided $50,000.
The $180,000 in funding provided by the ministry today will enable the project to begin its second phase, which includes expanding the local capacity of the centre, enhancing local access to information and communications technology and health information services, and supporting the development of health information resources for First Nations people in the Tl'azt'en Nation. The other participating partners will make contributions that together match the provincial contribution.
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