The ability to use a variety of modern technology is crucial for elderly people to manage their everyday life in a secure, easy, and independent manner. If they so want, they can even learn a new career.
To address these issues, the first phase of the educational program “Improving Cybersecurity and Technological Skills of the Elderly” was launched at the Armenian-Indian Center for Excellence in ICT on April 1. 12 elderly people will participate in the first stage of the course.
Funded by the Internet Society Foundation (ISF), the initiative is run by the non-governmental organization “Internet Society Armenia Chapter” in collaboration with the “The Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People”, the “Enterprise Incubator Foundation,” and the “Armenian-Indian Center for Excellence in ICT.”
The development of IT literacy and skills among the elderly and individuals with special needs has long been a priority for our organization. In announcing the program’s launch, Vesmira Harutyunyan, the Chair of the Board of the “Internet Society Armenia Chapter” PO, stated, “This program is one of our regular initiatives, and we are happy that we can bring it to life together with our partners, improving the quality of life of people aged 60+.”
Additionally, the program’s partner organizations welcomed the course participants. The participants, which included both men and women between the ages of 65 and 85, expressed their enthusiasm for the opportunity and demonstrated their proficiency with computers and phones, as well as their demands in this respect.
“The Mergelyan Institute had computers back then, but they took up multiple rooms. One participant remarked, "A lot has changed, and this is a unique opportunity to improve our skills, without which it is difficult to imagine life now.”
Throughout the course, the elderly, who have decades of experience in physics, economics, education, computing technologies, and other relevant subjects, will receive both theoretical and practical training. Over the course of the following five months, a total of twenty-five individuals aged sixty and above will take part in the educational program “Improving Cybersecurity and Technological Skills of the Elderly”.
