First Meteorites to surf the Cybercafe

Year Six pupils from Ayresome Primary School in Middlesbrough will be the very first children to use a new Cybercafe at the University of Teesside. The Meteor Cybercafe is solely for children from the Meteor Programme, a pioneering project which aims to show children in central Middlesbrough that higher education is within their grasp. The Cybercafe is based in the former Waterstones bookshop, King Edward’s Square, off Borough Road, Middlesbrough, and the children will arrive at the Cybercafe at 1.30pm on Friday 2 March at 1.30pm.

The Cybercafe gives the children an opportunity to develop their IT skills and surf the Internet. It has been funded through the Single Regeneration Budget with the support of a number of organisations including: Business Furniture Centre in Middlesbrough, Mr Lazenby’s, Whitestone Weavers, Sir Robert Macalpine, Inbiz, Market Cross Jewellers, Atha and Co, Coutts and Co, Newcastle and Calverts Carpets at Thirsk.

The University first launched Meteor in 1999, with 300 Year Six (10 and 11 year-olds) from six central Middlesbrough primary schools: Sacred Heart RC, Newport, Ayresome, Abingdon, St Joseph’s RC and Breckon Hill.

In 2000 another five schools joined the programme - Brambles, North Ormesby, Thorntree, Caldicotes and St Alphonsus RC – some of which are in the East Middlesbrough Education Action Zone. This month children from all 11 schools spent half-a-day each at the University for a series of ‘taster sessions’, which included organised sports, science experiments and using computers to compose music. They will return to the University in July, for a two-week summer school of further activities.

The University now has Meteor pupils in Year Seven and Eight across all Middlesbrough Secondary schools and it is hoped that pupils may make use of the Cybercafe facility, both on an in-school and after school basis.

Pat White, Schools & Colleges Liaison Manager at the University said: “We hope that the Cybercafe will become a popular venue for the Meteor pupils and their enthusiasm for Information Communications Technologies will assist their studies across the curriculum.”

---