Sundre and surrounding area seniors who find themselves intimidated by technology and the Internet no longer have an excuse to avoid diving in with both feet.
The Sundre Municipal Library recently launched its Cyber Seniors program, which features volunteer tech-savvy teenaged mentors from the Sundre High School.
“I'm so impressed with the high school students,” said library manager Jamie Syer, who spearheaded the initiative.
From the start, he said he was quite confident they would know the material like the backs of their hands. But the real challenge is relating the information to someone else who is not familiar with the subject in a manner that is understandable, and the students have excelled at that.
Additionally, there was no shortage of eager mentors who initially stepped up to help make the program possible to begin with. However, building up the same level of interest from seniors has taken a little while longer, and Syer encourages those who want to learn more about technology to consider dropping in to spend some time with a student.
The program is not necessarily meant to be a one-time drop-in session, but rather a series of meetings that cover a spectrum of technological tips and pointers about, for example, computers, tablets and social media. Although called Cyber Seniors, the sessions are not necessarily restricted, but are also open to any adults who might be interested in bridging the technological and generational gap with their children or grandchildren, he said.
About five years ago, two high school students in Toronto formed a similar group with a goal to introduce their own grandparents to computers, the Internet and of course social media. Similar programs have since been spawned throughout the rest of the country, he said.
Playing a pivotal role in helping to get the library's version of the program running was Sundre High School teacher Ryan Beck, who also runs the Leo Club as well as the student leadership class. Syer described as crucial the teacher's enthusiasm and scheduling flexibility in helping to make Cyber Seniors a reality.
The library manager had presented the idea to the leadership class as well as the leadership club — two separate entities that Beck manages — and the students were immediately captivated by the concept and did not hesitate in volunteering to get involved, the teacher said.
“I'm very excited — I see the potential for the students and the community,” Beck told the Round Up.
“From my perspective as a teacher, developing those mentorship skills and becoming comfortable to take a lead role in helping to teach someone are all great skills for youth to develop.”
He went on to express unreserved passion for projects that provide “multi-layer wins” — in this case for the high school, students, seniors, community as well as the library. Studies and research have also shown the extent to which seniors with more social connections live longer and healthier lives. Additionally, striving to continuously seek new knowledge is simply good for the brain because learning is a great way to combat dementia, he said.
“Everybody on this train is winning here.”
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the program — or the many others available at the library — is encouraged to either call 403-638-4000 or visit www.sundre.prl.ab.ca for more information.
