What is the Community Access Program (CAP)?

The Community Access Program is an Industry Canada initiative launched in 1995. The Community Access Program aims to ensure that Canadians in rural and urban areas have affordable access to the Information Highway and to the potential it offers for job creation and economic and social development at the community level.  The mandate of the CAP sites is to work with individual residents, businesses, schools, community groups, non-profits and government agencies in their community to increase understanding of the Internet and related technologies and to help them develop the skills needed to use them effectively.

In March 2000, the province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada entered into a new agreement to improve Internet access to Manitobans.  This new initiative called Community Connections built on the established 146 access sites to install an additional 440 access points in both urban and rural settings.

For further information on these initiative please visit:
Community Access Program (http://cap.ic.gc.ca) or
Community Connections    
(http://www.communityconnections.mb.ca)

What is the Community Access Program - Youth Initiative? (CAP-YI)

The CAP-YI program is an Industry Canada initiative that provides unique employment opportunities for youth, between the ages of 16 and 30, in rural and urban communities. These youth will remain in the community, while gaining valuable skills in an emerging technology. Youth have excellent opportunities to strengthen their skill set as well as receive new work-related experiences. Specifically, interpersonal and technical skills are developed, as they work to meet the needs of their CAP sites/networks and community.
MBE is the delivery agent for CAP-YI in Manitoba.  Other partners contributing financially and in-kind are; Manitoba Education & Youth, Manitoba Community Connections, and Microsoft.

Role of CAP-YI Regional Coordinators:

The Primary responsibility of the CAP-YI Regional Coordinators (RC’s) is to manage and supervisor CAP-YI Interns in partnerships with the Community and Host CAP Site.  RC’s work directly with local Community and Neighbourhood Resource Networks, and Access Sites providing CIMNET support, special multi-media projects, community development support, and touchstone with their respected communities.

• Web-4-All Training
  
• CIMnet Training and Support
  
• Youth Management
  
• Community Development Projects

Role of CAP-YI Youth Interns:

The primary responsibility of the CAP-YI Intern is to facilitate access to the internet and to provide direct services in the form of training and technical support, and to ensure that the CAP center is operational and available to the public sector at large.

• Promotion and Creating Awareness of the CAP Sites
  
• Training
  
• Technical Support
  
• Web Development

For More Information on the CAP-YI Project please visit their website at http://capyi.cimnet.ca

Community Connections Youth Team

Provides full-time employment to youth with specialized skills for work on a variety of unique multi-media and technical projects.  Work has included the development of specialized interactive CDs, Development of CIMNET website site, Specialized CIMNET Training and Support, Development and maintenance of databases, and HelpCAN technical support helpdesk call centre.

Manitoba E-Association (MB E) was a successful recipient of a Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) Grant in 2005.  Microsoft Canada also provided MB E with Software and Community Learning Curriculum to support training needs for CAP-YI and Web-4-All Youth Interns.
Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) is a global initiative designed to help broaden digital inclusion and aid global workforce development by providing technology skills through community technology centers (CTCs).  Therefore it is a great fit with Manitoba E-Association and it’s various projects!

During the Summer of 2005, thanks to Microsoft Canada, MB E was able to deliver its first youth orientation conference where trainers and speakers were brought in to educate the youth interns on a variety of topics and issues.  This event was a pilot project, and based on the feedback we received from participants, it was a great success!  MB E held a similar type of event for the Fall CAP-YI term, again utilizing funds and software given by Microsoft’s UP Grant Program.
These funds were used to support training needs for our youth interns who work throughout Manitoba in public internet access centres. Interns received hands-on training on Microsoft software while learning how to create community newsletters, flyers, and websites.  Youth also learned how to troubleshoot computers and how to take apart the internal hardware of computers.  
So far, Microsoft has invested in the education and training of 76 youth interns in Manitoba, as well as some MB E staff.  These youth are developing their skills sets and at the same time getting involved in their communities.

Thank you Microsoft for supporting Manitoba youth!

To view the Microsoft news release on February 22, 2006 regarding this grant, click here

We are proud to announce that in 2006, Manitoba E-Association was the proud recipient of the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Award in recognition of our outstanding contributions to Microsoft Community Affairs and the Unlimited Potential Program.  The award was accepted by our Executive Director, Clarice Leader, at Microsoft's Global Community Affairs Summit in Seattle Washington.