Students Help Older Adults Unravel Mysteries of Technology

Eight members of SPRYE (Staying Put in Rye & Environs) eagerly trooped to the RyeTV studios May 8 to participate in the second tech workshop organized by Rye High School Youth Advocate Casey DeCola and SPRYE. Each senior was matched with a student who could help him or her with specific skills and programs they wanted to work on.

Everything from accessing cell phone functions to setting up a new laptop was covered during the one-and-a-half-hour session. One senior wanted to learn more about Photoshop, while others asked for instruction on using Skype, Facebook, or just surfing the Web.

This type of intergenerational programming also fostered conversation and sharing of stories. DeCola said, “The collaboration between the teenagers and the SPRYE members has been inspirational on a number of levels. I am looking forward to continuing with the current offerings as well as expanding our collaborative work in new directions. We are off to a great start.”

SPRYE board member Kenneth Knowles helped organize the workshops. “We have been thrilled with the attentiveness of the student teachers and the great response we received from SPRYE members. The hope is that these sessions will continue next fall with more regularity,” said Knowles.

SPRYE member Martha Kongshaug, who came to the first tech workshop in February, seeking advice about what type of computer to purchase, arrived at the May workshop toting her new laptop. She was soon engrossed in setting it up with the help of a student and Knowles.

Kongshaug had only praise for the assistance she received. “Like many of us who signed up with SPRYE as insurance, earning Brownie points now toward a future on the receiving end, I hadn’t even thought about ‘cashing in’ the first year. But then, to my surprise, came something I could use immediately. The tech workshop was helpful beyond my expectations.”

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