Monday, March 21, 2011

Teens Helping Seniors Bridge the Digital Divide


Have your grandparents and great aunties friended you yet?
Youthserve teen helping local seniors at Senior Tech Day

According to a recent Pew Internet Research Report, while social media use across all age groups continues to show steady growth, older Americans have stepped up as the fastest growing demographic.

Computer use among Americans 65 and older has doubled in the past 10 years and Internet usage among that age group has more than tripled, according to the Pew Internet Project.

Youthserve, a program of the Volunteer Center, and the Senior Center at Louden Nelson have joined forces to help local seniors who want to  take the leap into the digital realm.

This past weekend they hosted their first-ever Senior Tech Day where local seniors had the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops providing them with the skills to connect with social media, utilize cell phone features, and upload pictures from the cameras to computers.

Youthserve has mobilized a group of young people to launch the project, develop workshops  and volunteer their time to share their online expertise. All workshops are lead by local teens.

“As the generation coined  “Digital Natives”, young people are the perfect candidates for helping seniors learn how to connect with online technology”, states YouthServe Program Coordinator Woubzena Jifar.

“We are very excited to launch this particular project. We are always looking for creative and meaningful ways to engage teens in our community. This was first workshop of what will hopefully be an ongoing opportunity for both seniors and teens”, states Jifar.

The next Senior Tech Day is scheduled for  May 14th from 12-2:30PM at the Louden Nelson Center (301 Center St).  All seniors are invited to attend free of charge and are asked to bring any devices they own that they are hoping to learn more about. 

YouthServe organizes year round service learning opportunities for youth and teens ages 11-18. The program utilizes community service as tool for civic engagement and skill development. Additionally, Youthserve provides an online listing of youth friendly opportunities, and phone or in-person consultation. 

In the last year, Youthserve teens have provided over 4500 hours of service.

For more information about getting involved with the project or Youthserve please contact Woubzena Jifar at 831-427-5066 or ys@scvolunteercenter.org or visit www.scvolunteercenter.org






Thursday, March 17, 2011

Be EXTRA GREEN on St. Patrick's Day

With St. Patrick's Day  right around the corner, the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center would like to invite you to not only wear green, but to BE GREEN as well. Environmentally friendly volunteer opportunities abound.
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**  Go Green Everyday  **
Looking for way to use your volunteer time to be green year round? 
Below are a few organization that offer year round volunteer opportunities. 

1. Save Our Shores:
Save Our Shores is the Central Coast leader in caring for the marine environment through ocean awareness, advocacy and citizen action.  They provide continued support to maintain a healthy environment through programs like; Clean BoatingPlastic Pollution and Ocean Awareness is very appreciated. 

Interested in becoming a volunteer?? Save Our Shores accept individuals and small or large groups. For more information please VIEW their latest opportunities

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2. California Grey Bears, Inc.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
The California Grey Bears, Inc., has been a vital community resource for seniors in the Santa Cruz community for 25 years. The organization has found innovative ways to reuse and recycle materials most businesses consider to be plain "trash," and, in the process, generates revenues to assist low-income seniors.

For more information please contact The California Grey Bears at; 831.479.1055 or e-mail them at greybears@cruzio.com
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3. The Homeless Garden Project
(Local food Project)
The Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California, provides jobs and life training for homeless people within the therapeutic context of an organic garden. Meaningful and productive work within the garden or related enterprises is the basis for the healing process necessary for many homeless people to re-enter the culture of work. This process is also one of community building — allowing for renewed relationships as community members reap the rewards of bountiful organic produce and a decreased population of homeless members.

Interested? Please contact Kelly Mercer, Volunteer Coordinator for The Homeless Garden Project at 831.426.3609, ext. or e-mail kellym@homelessgardenproject.org.

For additional information visit their website HERE.
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ONE-Time opportunities available :
 
1. SNAPSHOT DAY 2011:
This is an annual one-day event in May. Spanning more than 300 miles of coast from Pacifica in the north to Morro Bay in the south, Snapshot Day volunteers monitor water quality and collect samples to assess the health of as many streams as possible. Snapshot Day is a great excuse to explore our local streams while collecting important water quality information.

When: Saturday, May 7th, 2011 

Please mark your calendar with the training date in your area!
  • Monterey: Saturday, 4/30, 12-3 pm @ MBNMS office, 299 Foam Street, Monterey
  • Santa Cruz: Sunday, 5/1, 12-3 pm @ Natural Bridges State Beach, near the Interpretive Center
  • San Mateo: Monday, 5/2, 5:30 – 7:30 pm @ San Gregorio General Store
  • Cambria: Tuesday, 5/3, 5-7 pm (call for location)
No prior experience is necessary – just a desire to help out and learn. For more information please contact CWC at (831) 464-9200, or email urbanwatch@coastalws.org if you’re interested in signing up.
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2. Save Our Shores (Sock Walker Volunteer):

DockWalker Volunteers are people from all walks of life who empower boaters to do the right thing by offering information on proper disposal of oil and hazardous materials. Short trainings are held the day of the event to prepare volunteers to work in our harbors. 

When: March 26th, 2011
Time: 9am-1pm
Where: Santa Cruz Harbor on the Mariner Park Lawn

Contact Lauren for more information, e-mail lauren@saveourshores.org or call 831.462.5660 Ext. 6
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Five ways that you can become more sustainable:

1. MAKE the SWITCH from plastic grocery bags to reusable bags. 
2. SWITCH your light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs. 
"Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat (reference)."
3. UNPLUG IT.
Unplug any appliance that is not in use, and save $ on your next electricity bill. 
4. SHOWER TIME.
Cut your shower time down by 2 minutes everyday and you will save approximately 150 gallons of water a month. 
5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. 
Recycle anything you can think of; paper, plastic, glass, etc."By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually (reference).

Go Green- Join the cause, reduce waste, and help maintain a healthy mother earth. 
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As always if you have any questions or would like to search for additional volunteer opportunity please visit our 1-800 website HERE or give us a call at (831) 427-5070. 

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