Big demand for computer course for seniors in Charlottetown

What started as a one-day session for seniors to navigate social media in the winter of 2014 has turned into a successful six-week course, offered twice a year at the Confederation Centre Public Library.

Teens from 14 to 17,volunteer after school to teach the course, matched up with seniors for one-on-one training according to skill level, said library assistant Minerva Gamble-Hardy.

"Myself and my co-worker had seen an increase in demand and questions that seniors had for us here at the library, more people were purchasing laptops and iPads, people were asking for one-on-one help," said Gamble-Hardy.

The first course had 11 seniors, one for each community access computer.

That number is now expanded to 15, the maximum capacity the library can handle, with many seniors choosing to bring their own devices.

"Every course has been full, we have a registration date, and usually it's been filled within one hour," said Gamble-Hardy.

There arealso nearly a dozen names on a waiting list, just in case someone drops out.

Difficult transition

Shiela Dingwell took the course last spring, sayingshe had a difficult transition from her work computer to her home computer after retirement, because she didn't know how to navigate any of the programs.

"They helped me a lot with Word, so now I can sit down at least quite comfortably, and type up a set of minutes, or a letter, or things that I've done for years but found it so frustrating when I was home," said Dingwall. "And my twokids aren't at home anymore, so I had really no one to help."

Tanuj Fernando, a 17-year-old entering Grade 12 at Charlottetown Rural has been a volunteer teacher for three years.

"They really want to learn, and some people know little to nothing about computers and iPads and eBooks and things like that," he said. "The fact that you can actually help them to grasp on to a concept that`s so foreign to them is so amazing, and it`s really rewarding for yourself."

The course is offered for one hour, once a week for six sessions.

To keep up with demand, the library has also started offering a one-day session for seniors on some PD days when teens are not in school.

The course goes through basic computer literacy, how toemail, surfthe web, and use social media.

Teens have best computer skills

Gamble-Hardy said teens were chosen as the best teachers, because of their proficiency in computer skills.

At the heart of the program, both the seniors and teens have much more to gain than computer skills, she added, seeing it as an opportunity to foster intergenerational relationships that might not otherwise happen.

"You know it's a real win-win situation for everyone ... it's been really rewarding to see the relationships develop between these two demographics that perhaps wouldn't have developed. By the end of the six weeks they're friends, they're checking in at the beginning and see how they're doing."

"I never really knew my grandparents personally," said Fernando. "It`s definitely a new experience for me, just even great to socialize with them, getting the chance to chat with them for like an hour every week is really fun to do, personally."

A similar program will be adopted this winter at the Montague Rotary Public Library.

The training session for teens at the Confederation Centre starts September 28, and there are still a handful of teen volunteers needed.

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