A Volunteer Opportunity for Youth
Funded by the Government of Ontario, Cyber-Seniors, in collaboration with the City of Niagara Falls, is launching a weekly intergenerational technology training initiative this fall at the MacBain Community Centre. Leveraging Cyber-Seniors' tech training curriculum tailored for both younger and older demographics, the program will facilitate direct engagement between older adults and volunteer tech mentors, offering hands-on, in-person practical tech training.
We are currently looking for Volunteer Tech Mentors to help spearhead this exciting new initiative. Are you, or do you know, a youth looking to complete their community service hours, which will add some serious punch to their resume? Volunteering can help teens gain new skills necessary for education and even the job market, such as leadership, communication skills, dependability, time management, and decision-making.
What is involved for the Volunteer Tech Mentors?
Firstly, our mentors will be trained and given the overall curriculum of the classes to be taught to the older adults. This, however, is a guideline. Some Older Adults may want to learn certain specific topics, which you may accommodate.
How long is the commitment?
The program will run until March 2024.
There will be approximately four sessions offered over six weeks.
Students can either volunteer for one session or all of the sessions.
Each class will run 2 hours for six weeks. The class will be split up between the first hour and the second hour:
- Hour One - Mentors will deliver a presentation to the group of approximately 5 seniors on the topic of the week and time allowing, take questions from the group.
- Hour Two - Participants will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one assistance from tech mentors. Participants are not limited to receiving help based on the topic of the week.
Materials from the session (ie. the slide deck and any corresponding notes) may be provided to participants at the conclusion of the session to print and take home.
When does this program start?
The program will be offered on two evenings a week. We are hoping to begin this program this year. The Volunteer tech mentors can choose either Monday or a Thursday to teach or both days. MacBain is now open seven days per week, so offering a Saturday or Sunday is also a viable option.
What time?
We understand the Tech Mentors are in school, so we have scheduled 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm, but we are very flexible and can work around the student's availability. Saturday or Sunday, any time.
What exactly will the Tech Mentors be teaching the Older Adult?
An example of the sessions, including all the slide decks, are:
Emailing Basics and Safety Tips
Email is a fast and free way to stay connected. In this session, mentors will explain the basics of navigating email, best practices for keeping emails organized and staying safe from scams and phishing emails.
Beginners Guide to Social Media
Social media is a great way to stay connected to friends, family and the world at large online. This session will review the basics of social media and how to use it by using Facebook as an example.
Navigating your device settings
This session addresses how to access, navigate and adjust the settings of your devices in order to customize them to your preferences.
How to Listen to Podcasts
This session addresses how to listen to Podcasts. What is a Podcast? How do I listen to a Podcast? Download your podcast.
Facebook Messenger
This session addresses Facebook Messenger. How can you access Facebook Messenger online? What are the perks of using Facebook Messenger? How can it integrate with other Facebook features, such as group chats
and video calls?
Volunteer
Youth Mentors - Please complete this short survey so we may contact you.
You can also call 905-356-7521 Ext. 4140 Or Email [email protected]
If you are 60+ and would like to take part in this mentorship program to learn more about technology, please call 905-356-7521 Ext. 3330.
