..By Pamela B Smith Director, Aging and Independence Services
.....Aaron’s students are at least 45 years older than he is. He has learned to be patient with them, even when they want to yell and throw what they’re studying out the window.
“I tell them to relax, take a deep breath, we’re going to start over,” he says. “I remind them of what they have already accomplished and then they feel better.”
Aaron Alfaro, 17, attends King-Chavez Charter High School. Since February, he has been interning at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center from 9:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. His job: teaching older adults at the center’s Cyber Cafe how to use the computer. He’s one of a handful of high school students who come to the center each day and are outnumbered by their mostly eager students.
“Each time I come in, there are more people waiting as soon as the doors open,” he says. “Sometimes the classes are booked a week ahead of time.”
The teen instructors work with all skill levels, even novices. “We start them with mouse exercises, then when they get the hang of that, they get a certificate and we move to keyboarding,” Aaron says. “One of my students was a secretary. Her keyboarding was amazing!”
The Consumer Center for Health Education & Advocacy (CCHEA) developed this Intergenerational Health Advocacy Project in collaboration with Senior Community Centers, with funding from the Gary and Mary West Foundation. High school and college students, plus some tech-savvy seniors, provide individualized, health-focused computer classes to older adults. Participants are trained on how to access online information and resources that will help them stay independent and remain healthy. The project also provides an opportunity for teens to develop leadership skills, improve their self-esteem and gain a better understanding of older adults.
The Cyber Cafe participants are discovering they enjoy interacting with their teenage tutors, according to Kristi Evans, project manager. “They love telling their tutors what it was like to live in the 1930s or back in their birth country. Seniors aren’t the only ones finding out their opinions of other generations can change. A large percentage of high school and college students ask if they may continue volunteering once their internship is over."
The Intergenerational Health Advocacy Project is the type of community-based program that will be spotlighted at the June 15 “Live Well, San Diego! Summit: Building a Healthy Community for All Ages.” Our County’s Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) wants to encourage policymakers and neighborhoods to bring different generations together to strengthen one another and our communities. Participants at the Live Well, San Diego! Summit will explore using intergenerational approaches to solve our community problems and needs, particularly health issues.
Fred Davis, 65, says he’d like to see more positive interaction among young people and what he calls “mature people.”
“These days, there’s a big division between youth and mature people,” he says. “They generally don’t want to have much to do with us. They shy away. They lose a big asset.”
But Fred, a regular in the Cyber Cafe, sees that both generations have much to teach one another. He says he and Aaron have “mutual sharing. We joke around and you don’t find that too much.”
Fred says that when it comes to technology, he’s no longer afraid to try anything. “I’ve learned a lot -- how to access emails, how to find movies I want to watch. I’m redecorating my home and I googled Ikea.”
To learn more about the Intergenerational Health Advocacy Project, contact CCHEA at (619) 471-2689, or call the Cyber Café at (619) 235-6572, ext. 404.
To learn more about the value of intergenerational programs and how we can incorporate them into our communities, join us for the Live Well, San Diego!
The event is set for Friday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration at 8 a.m. , and will be held at the following locations:
•Town & Country Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego 92108. This will be the main site. Speakers will be live here and webcast to the four other locations.
• Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 E. Douglas, El Cajon 92020.
• California Center for the Arts - Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido 92025.
•Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa, 5480 Grand Pacific Dr., Carlsbad 92008.
• Chula Vista Middle School, 415 5th Ave., Chula Vista 91910.
Sponsors include HHSA/Behavioral Health, AARP and Kaiser Permanente.Registration is required. Call the AARP Registration Line at (877) 926-8300 or visit www.AISevents.org
Top photo: Fred Davis, left, and Aaron Alfaron
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