Can you imagine a granny surfing the cyberspace or a grandfather chatting with his grandson on Skype?! Why not? A two-year experiment done by British researchers found that communication in social networks has a positive influence on the mental health of older people. In Bulgaria there are also enthusiasts at respectable age ready to become acquainted with the virtual world and modern technology. Their main reason, of course, is finding a way to communicate more effectively with their relatives living abroad. “Znanie” Association has started an initiative that provides formal and informal education to elderly people.

"The idea emerged as we realized how complicated it was for people who did not grew up with computers and mobile phones to enter into the world of new technologies,” says Mariana Manukyan, chairman of the NGO. “We decided that we should give these people a helping hand and it turned out that a great number of people need our support. The initiative is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of “Znanie” and we announced that we recruit volunteers to teach adults. The training is free and volunteers donate an hour of their free time to engage in the teaching process."

The initiative is aimed at people over 65 who are already outside the labour market and there are almost no opportunities for training. Since November 2014, when the "Give an Hour" Initiative was launched, over 250 people passed through training. The oldest among them is an 87-year-old man. There are about 40 volunteers - mostly young people. This is a 6-week training and groups are small in order for people to receive the necessary attention.

"It's nice to work with these grandparents. I call them that because they are the age of my grandparents. Every time I feel their gratitude and I cannot remain indifferent," says Petya Brashnikova about her reasons to join as a volunteer in the campaign:

"Their level is quite different. Some of them have no knowledge of how to operate a computer and we start with explaining about the way one holds the mouse. Many of them hold it the other way round or do not see the cursor on the screen. There are various funny situations. Sometimes they even panic and feel fear related to the new technology. But at the end, when they relax, you see the results of your work. There are people who know more and I show them how to use Skype and Facebook. There are some who tell me they want to see if Grigor Dimitrov and Sharapova are still together or not. I show them various sites and teach them how to search for information about celebrities and so on. People are interested in that and we try to satisfy their wishes. They also like that they can check the timetables of the public transport in Sofia in the net.”

It turns out that many of the elderly students are also keen on social networks. "They want to learn how to upload photos, how to share music or send friendship invitations," says Petya. On the Facebook page of the NGO one can see that the elderly people do not miss the chance to show their gratitude to the teachers who opened a new world for them.

"Dear teachers,

Thank you for the great work you do for us - your grandmothers. Whenever I connect with my children abroad I will think of you with the best feelings and will bless you. Be always dedicated and be sure that you will get a hundredfold return," Krasimira Tsonkova wrote.

English: Alexander Markov