Grandparents are back in school in Imola, too. Students studying to become administrative secretaries at the Centro italiano opere femminili salesiane (CIOFS), a professional training agency, will help teach elders about computers and new technology once a week.
All the students are involved in Project Grandparents on the Internet: half the class will act as tutors, while the other half has set up a press office to learn how to communicate the progress of the elders and the results of their shared work.
“The students are very happy. The first times they were a little shy, but now they have already become friends with the elders. Even the elders are enthusiastic. Whilst the students are not top notch at school, they are proving their true potential with this project and feel extremely gratified,” explains coordinator Vita Scarantino.
The youngest student is 71 and the oldest teacher is 17! Lesson after lesson, they are discovering the wonders of technology. “They have learned to use Google for searches: gardening, football, cooking … A lady entered a passage from the Bible and found the whole text. She thought it was magic! It’s great to see a new world opening up for so many people,” concluded Vita Scarantino.
