Ukrainian volunteers start classes on digital literacy for elderly people in Vinnytsia

Ukraine's network of volunteers, "Honcharenko Center" has launched a media literacy course for the elderly people in the Vinnytsia region.

The course will teach new students how to use e-mail, pay for services online, and master popular social media. They will also learn about information security and media literacy

What is the problem?

The elderly people are the most common victims of online fraud, who do not know how to detect a number in special programs and distinguish fake accounts from real ones. It is more difficult for older people to keep up with the times by mastering new technologies and services.

What is the solution?

To fix this situation and teach digital literacy, a special training course was launched in the educational and cultural space of the Honcharenko Center.

Students are taught the basic rules of information security and media literacy and helped to master modern technologies, such as paying for services online and even maintaining their own TikTok page.

The teacher Kateryna Burkovska says each new lesson is held in the form of relevant training.

We cover different topics at each lesson. We learn how to search for information using search engines, how to work with different social networks, how to use online services and online stores. We pay special attention to online safety. For older people, this knowledge helps them to communicate better with their children and grandchildren, and gives them a sense of security. Our students feel that they are keeping up with the times! the mentor emphasized.

How does it work?

The course mentor looks for an individual approach to each student. This allows the elderly to quickly resolve pressing issues and bring their knowledge up to the level of their peers.

The 75-year-old Lilia Yeremiieva, a teacher of the highest category was forced to move to Zhmerynka from Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, which is currently under constant Russian shelling.

Our teacher counsels each of us individually to help us master the skills. The classes are interesting, and I get the knowledge I need for my professional work. I am a teacher of Ukrainian history. Now I have to conduct most of my classes online. But even with a phone and a tablet, I didn't always understand how to use them properly. Our gadgets have many functions that I could not even imagine. Now I know about them, I use them, and it makes my life much easier. I even learned how to edit videos! the teacher said.

Kateryna Semes is convinced that the digital literacy course helps older people adapt to modern society.

Owning gadgets helps the elderly become happier. Our elderly visitors become freer and more independent. Knowledge of financial literacy gives them strength, self-confidence, and helps them to feel full of life. Simple things like the ability to find some information on the Internet, order medicines online or pay for utilities without standing in line for half a day – all this really makes people happy.