Past projects

The Switched On Project  builds on the work undertaken in Cardiff under the Switch Partnership which, over a 4 year period, established and equipped over 20 community learning access points in the premises used by partners giving both ICT equipment and broadband access for learners as will as running bespoke courses involving over 3000 learners. In Newport a smaller project developed known as Switch On (of Newport) which again developed a number of community learning access points and sought resources for bespoke courses.

In parallel we also developed an interest in, and considerable skills in all aspects of ICT and combatting digital exclusion. This work was funded by the Lottery focusing on Digtial Story Telling, by Microsoft called Can Do Online and then under the auspices of Communities @ One known as Can Do IT.

The ethos of the Scarman Trust was to provide support and assistance to communities, and provide reflective solutions.   The reflective learning has often been used to develop new support initiatives, commonly in partnership, which then become new organisations in their own right eg Unltd and the Adventure Capital Fund or the collaboration with BT and Citizens-online to lobby for the Communities@One programme here in Wales. It has undertaken UK-wide programmes in partnership with Microsoft and the TUC focusing on Digital Exclusion and Work based learning under EQUAL and a number of England wide programmes such as Big Boost, Community Champions and the recently ended CanDo Learning ESF Programme for the DfES. Typical key activities include distribution of small grants, development support to community projects, training, social enterprise development support, community learning and digital inclusion initiatives, local investment funds and area agreements and community development. It has been working, with partners, in Switch for the past 8 years having originally funded a number of Millennium Awards projects in these communities.