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