Why we are working with seniors

Everyone working in the field of the online crime prevention knows how difficult is to work with families. We are able to address children - our main target group - directly through events organised for them or via teachers equipped with our handbooks and other supporting materials. But what about parents? It's notoriously difficult to reach them. There is sometime a lack of interest in the virtual lives of their children and so, often, they are not interested in special workshops and education in this field. Indeed, fathers and mothers often feel ashamed to talk to their children about sensitive online issues because they feel that their children are more adept at using the internet. But what about grandparents?

Date 2016-12-15 Author Czech Safer Internet Centre
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Last year, the Czech Safer Internet Centre (SIC) took the opportunity to start a project focused on the education of seniors. A pilot project, supported by a grant from the Czech Ministry of Social Care, mapped possibilities to educate seniors and invite them to become volunteers, spreading safer internet knowledge to their peers also. Special courses for Cyber Silver Ambassadors were developed and work with seniors commenced, with a dedicated project website launched at http://seniori.bezpecne-online.cz/.

This year, the project has been extended thanks to a grant from the Municipality of Prague. An online platform was developed and courses were complemented by new topics covering the main areas of online crime prevention. Based on experiences so far, the Czech SIC can conclude that old people are interested in self education in the area of safer use of the internet. And, even more, they like to work in this area with their families, i.e. with their children and grandchildren. This way, the SIC is able to reach out to families which are practically impossible to reach in more traditional ways.

Of course – the Czech SIC is just at the beginning of this journey, but they think it is worth the effort!

Find out more about the work of the Czech Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services.

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