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Seniors getting connected

The documentary Cyber Seniors will kick off the We Love Documentary film series hosted by the Shatford Centre on Jan. 21.
7243penticton0114Cyberseniors

Staying in touch around the globe has never been easier, but for some the technology that allows us to do so is still a hurdle.

The documentary Cyber Seniors explores the story of seniors who learn to use the internet and modern technology through the help of teenage mentors. The film will be screened at the Shatford Centre auditorium on Jan. 21 at 1:30 p.m. as part of the We Love Documentary film series program offered by the Shatford Centre.

“It was a way of bridging a generation gap and connecting family members in a new way,” said Bob Nicholson, who will be hosting the documentary series.

Cyber Seniors has inspired similar programs across Canada and the U.S. as well.

“It’s a documentary film, but it’s also sort of a movement,” Nicholson said.

He feels a similar program linking seniors and students would work well here.

“I think that may in fact take shape. What would be a better venue than Penticton,” Nicholson said.

A new documentary will be provided each month chosen by Pepita Ferrari, who also curates the We Love Documentary Film Weekend held in October.

Milton Orris, Shatford Centre Director, also feels that a Cyber Seniors-type program would lend itself well to Penticton. While it’s currently in the initial planning stages, Orris is working to get youth involved.

“We thought, isn’t this a great idea, and we were working on this whole thing about improving all sorts of opportunity for older people and it just seemed like a natural fit,” Orris said.

Orris is the former dean of continuing education at Ryerson University, where he started a similar program that grew out of a desire from the seniors he instructed to stay in touch with their grandchildren.

He’s currently canvassing local schools in hopes of creating a partnership which would not only be beneficial for seniors but for students as an educational tool as well according to Orris.

“The kids would have an opportunity to teach what you’re learning, which is a really good way to consolidate your learning, but also have an intergenerational connection,” Orris said.

The first steps of the program would involve getting seniors comfortable with email and using a word processor.

The results Orris had at Ryerson are ones he hopes to replicate here.

“Often a lot of them signed up for full computer classes,” Orris said.

For more information visit www.shatfordcentre.com