Open Future Kids in Action: Helping Seniors Navigate the Digital World

This year, our second-year students from the Trnava center came up with a mini-social innovation that hit the bullseye! They planned a digital training for seniors who wanted to better familiarize themselves with the internet, and with working on a computer or a tablet. In cooperation with the Orange Foundation and the Orange Digital Center, they turned this idea into reality – an idea that combines one of the pillars of learning in the Open Future with a meaningful contribution to the community. It was the ideal combination, where our boys truly found themselves and helped seniors, doing something that is often missing for them in the digital world, even from their closest family.     

“I even called my granddaughter to come and show me things on the internet that interest me, but she didn’t have time,” said Mrs. Irena, before Jano from the Trnava Open Future center showed her how to open a recipe website in her browser and how to safely log in and log out of email. There were plenty of similar situations at the Orange Digital Center in Bratislava. The boys from the Open Future were ready to explain, demonstrate, and help the seniors. The huge interest from seniors confirmed the real value of such activities – the number of applicants far exceeded our capacity. We have organized another training session next week. 

Developing digital skills alongside soft skills is best done in practice – and this activity was an excellent opportunity for that. Our young trainers practiced their communication skills, thought about how to formulate instructions and advice for seniors as clearly as possible, and then demonstrated them in practice on a laptop. 

Digital skills across generations – at the Orange Digital Center, Open Future children helped seniors master working with a computer.

Two groups of boys prepared topics: effective internet searching and internet safety. They scheduled the training for two hours but even double that time would not have been enough for the curious seniors. The willing boys had their hands full, stopping with each participant to give individual help with the digital obstacles they face in everyday life. 

The first group taught our older generation how to search for a video recipe and cook following video instructions. They learned how to slow down or speed up a video or how to save the link so they could return to it anytime. After an hour of searching for meals online, everyone was hungry, so they welcomed the break with refreshments. 

Then came the second group of boys, who tackled the very useful topic of internet safety. The seniors learned not to click on dangerous links often found in scam messages and emails. They also found out how to block numbers sending suspicious messages or hoaxes, what a strong password should look like, and why they should not connect to unsecured Wi-Fi networks. The children then tested the seniors with a quiz containing different scenarios and possible reactions. The joy was clear on the seniors’ faces when they chose the correct answer. 

Fifteen seniors took part in the digital training led by the Open Future second-year students. Next week, the boys will work with a second group due to high demand.

The mini-social innovation “Digital Skills Across Generations” was made possible thanks to the support of the Orange Foundation and the Orange Digital Center. Since we see great interest in this topic and believe it is truly needed, we plan to continue with similar activities in the future.