Return of the ‘Silver Surfers’

Return of the ‘Silver Surfers’ 

Glan Afan Comprehensive School in Port Talbot, which has been providing free Silver Surfers classes for the past five years, is set to commence its sessions next week.

The Silver Surfers project at the school, which has been on a break for the summer period, encourages the young and older generations to interact and learn new skills. Pupils from the school have voluntarily given up their time to take on the role of ‘teacher’ one evening a week, since the project began in 2006.

During the sessions, the Silver Surfers are taught how to use the mouse and keyboard, create greetings cards, send e-mails, chat to family and friends across the world on Skype, find old friends through Facebook, shop on the web, and use BBC iPlayer.

Last September, the project launched its online learning environment, which has enhanced the learning experience for the Silver Surfers, and allowed them to access resources from home, should they wish to gain further information on the topic covered in the session.

Four out of five internet users aged over 55 have said that having access to computers and the web has improved their lives, in new research carried out by Digital Unite, one of the UK’s main providers of digital skills learning.

Luke Jenkins, who is Project Co-ordinator, and now a student at Neath Port Talbot College said, “We know that a relatively small percentage of senior citizens in Neath Port Talbot use the internet, and that it is becoming more and more important in everyday life.”

“We want to encourage older residents of the county to explore the world of the internet. By attending our weekly sessions, senior citizens are able to gain the skills and confidence they need to be able to surf the web alone.”

The sessions will resume on Wednesday 14^th September at 3:30pm, and anyone aged 50 or above is welcome to come along. If you require further information, please contact Luke Jenkins on 01639 618334 or Steve Turner on 01639 883964.

 

Notes for Editors

• Glan Afan Comprehensive School is based in Port Talbot. The full address is:
  Glan Afan Comprehensive School, Station Road, Port Talbot, SA13 1LZ
• ‘Glan Afan Silver Surfers’ is the full name of the project, and its slogan is ‘Increasing Skills and Creativity in the Community.’
• The website of the project is www.glanafansilversurfers.org.uk

For more information about this press release, please contact
Luke Jenkins, Project Co-ordinator on 01639 618334 or Luke.Jenkins@glanafansilversurfers.org.uk