Don’t throw us away because we have gotten to a certain age, says Louvenia Williams, 73.
We still want to learn.
She also worked in the nonprofit sector, supporting kids and their families for over 16 years.
Shes retired now, but that doesnt mean shes done learning.
But there’s still something missing.
One thing that was missing for Louvenia was feeling independent in the digital age.
My sons were always doing things for me, she says.
They would just take my phone, or they would do the computer for me.
Finally they told me, Mom, we’re not gonna do it anymore.
You’re gonna have to do it.
So I started looking for classes.
This was ideal because the Literacy Council was a nonprofit I was a part of anyway, she says.
When this came along, AARP Foundation and Javar, that was icing on the cake.
That young man sparked so much in all of us, not just me.
Javar has long been interested in bridging the generation gap as a means of serving his community.
Plenty of older adults have this misconception about who the younger generation is, he says.
They were really intimidated by this generation.
And nobody in our area was offering older adults an opportunity to interact with younger adults.
The AARP brand seeps through any disenfranchisement people might feel.
Attendance exceeded his expectations.
He thought hed get one or two students, but he ended up with 26.
Louvenia credits Javars energy and engaging personality with making participants feel comfortable.
He connects to every single person.
It was never boring, and that hour just flew by.
to texting, copying and pasting items on her phone, and Louvenias top priority: Excel spreadsheets.
You don’t have to do them for me anymore!
Louvenia cant overstate the impact the Digital Skills Ready@50+ training has had on her.
“They help us feel that we are still a part of society.
Don’t leave us in the dark, you know?
