4-H teens empowering adults through technology
Members of the 4-H Teen Leadership Council of Elk and Cameron Counties visited the Senior Junction in Ridgway on Tuesday to mentor participants on the use of their mobile devices. Grace Bon started off the workshop with a presentation on “The Basics of Phone and Tablet Use” to introduce participants to the variety of things that they can do with their devices. Following the presentation, a group of 8 local teens worked oneon-one with workshop participants on their individual devices. Along with Bon, this group included Marcus Aiello, Liam Macer, Brennan Rupprecht, Drew Thomas, Hailee McDermott, and Garrett Balon. The teens helped with understanding and changing settings, using cameras, searching for apps, safety features (including how to recognize a suspicious text to avoid being scammed), and many other topics. This workshop created opportunities to connect generations by utilizing the savviness of teens and technology. It is part of a pilot project known as Intergenerational Ridgway. This is one of two pilot projects established by Penn State University (Extension educators and faculty). It brings together Ridgway community leaders, planners, and other professionals and stakeholders to develop and pilot a set of intergenerational strategies that can help address challenges related to rural depopulation trends that affect community quality of life for all generations. To learn more about the Intergenerational Ridgway Project or to become involved, reach out to Extension Educator Chi Catalone at cjb7092@psu.edu.
This series of Teens Teaching Technology Workshops is one program that the 4-H Teen Leadership Council is bringing to the community. The Teen Council creates opportunities for local teenagers to become active members of their community, build skills in leadership and citizenship, and participate in meaningful experiences that will build stronger resumes and college applications. If you are interested in learning more about the 4-H Teen Leadership Council of Elk and Cameron Counties, please reach out to Natalie Aiello, nla11@ psu.edu.