Recommendations and Self-Learning Materials for Volunteers
To help young volunteers successfully provide ICT consultations to seniors, recommendations have been prepared that youth can review independently or with the help of a teacher, librarian, coordinator, etc.
The recommendations cover the following topics:
How to communicate with seniors? What are their interests? Ethics and etiquette.
How to evaluate your experience? How can I help seniors? What should be explained to seniors: smart devices, communication tools, safety, useful applications, etc.
Where to learn more about e-safety? Recommended learning materials can be found on the websites epilietis.eu and prisijungusi.lt.
How does a consultation work? How to plan and prepare for it. What to do and what not to do.
Schools and libraries – their roles and responsibilities. Organizing and accounting for volunteer work.
During the pilot consultations, young volunteers primarily assisted seniors with the following topics, which were relevant and requested by the older adults:
How to use smartphone functions (downloading apps, enlarging text, saving phone numbers, transferring them from the SIM card, updating apps, sending pictures),
How to create an email account,
How to use social networks safely,
How to shop online,
How to pay for utilities online.
Personal data protection and safer internet practices are always cross-cutting topics in consultations, complementing all subjects.
It should be noted that while young volunteers generally had sufficient digital knowledge and understood how to use such technologies, they often lacked information about communication peculiarities with older people.
Recommendations for Institutions
Schools, libraries, and hosting organizations should agree on the following information and necessary document formats:
How does a consultation work? How to plan and prepare for it. Identifying the need, planning consultations, and creating timetables.
Schools and libraries—their roles and responsibilities. Organizing and accounting for volunteer work. Sample contract and accounting sheet, and how to fill it out.
How can a volunteer help seniors? What should be explained to seniors: smart devices, communication tools, SAFETY, useful applications, etc.
Recommended learning materials for volunteers.
Examples of announcements in schools about volunteer consultation opportunities and examples of announcements in libraries, senior organizations, and communities.
Insights from Pilot Consultations
A series of pilot consultations was held between February and July 2024. 3 public libraries, 3 schools, the Lithuanian Red Cross and the association "Public Internet Access Points" were involved in testing the models in a number of the municipalities of Lithuania
The organizers of the pilot consultations agreed that individual consultations are one of the most effective forms of digital literacy training for seniors. This type of activity allows for consideration of the specific needs and expectations of each senior and can help to solve problems they encounter while using their smartphone or computer.
The success of the pilot sessions depended on the full involvement of all participating parties. School coordinators played a critical role by selecting motivated and active youth to participate in the activities. Meanwhile, library staff promoted the activity and invited seniors to participate in consultations.
It is recommended to expand such activities by involving other institutions, such as municipal education departments and senior organizations.
Providing comprehensive support to young people who wish to participate in this activity is recommended. During preparatory meetings, it is suggested to focus on introducing young people to the communication and learning characteristics of older people, the challenges of digital literacy learning among seniors, and the specific learning needs, style, and pace of seniors. Additionally, more attention should be paid to the support provided to young volunteers by consultants, as these individuals help, encourage, and respond to young people’s questions.
In addition to consultations, it is also advisable to offer a variety of activities (for example, integrating this activity into the Youth Volunteer Service program or supplementing it with other activities) to motivate and attract more young people to participate in the initiative.
Motivational tools that increase the motivation of participating organizations and young representatives can be used, such as certificates, incentive souvenirs, and public recognition of their contributions and efforts within the community.
We invite educational institutions, public libraries, senior citizen organizations, and NGOs promoting volunteering to join this initiative!