Premiere for the Penzberg “computer seniors” - how to shovel in a ditch

After a year of preparation, the “computer seniors” started in Penzberg.

In the future, the meeting will take place once a month at the adult education center and help older people to use computers, tablets or smartphones.

13 volunteers came forward to give them tips.

Penzberg - "I'm glad it worked," said Herbert Preuss from the Penzberg Seniors' Advisory Board, which initiated the computer meeting. There is a rift between the digital world and the elderly, he said. We are now "digging in little by little" this trench. Seniors and volunteers had now come together to celebrate the start. In future, the meeting of the “computer seniors” will take place every second Thursday of the month. The Penzberg Adult Education Center is the sponsor.

The senior advisory board could now successfully tick off the project, said Preuss at the small celebration. "Now the routine begins." Well, it's not routine yet. At least that's what VHS director Katja Wippermann said at the party. “We are breaking new ground”, by which she meant both senior citizens, volunteers and the adult education center. For Wippermann, there is no question that the new meeting place is important. According to her, the experience from the pandemic alone shows that. When the adult education center could no longer offer face-to-face courses last year, it switched to digital courses. In doing so, she noticed that there are people who would like to take the courses, but were unsure how to do it. "There is no age limit to get fit in the digital world," said the VHS director. And:“Social participation is no longer possible without digital competence”.

13 volunteer advisors have signed up: "You are the foundation"

The initiators are also proud that 13 volunteers registered to support the senior citizens.

“They are the foundation on which the project is built,” said Katja Wippermann.

One of these pillars is Ernst Schönberner from Penzberg. The 56-year-old works as an IT consultant. He knows that it is difficult to cross the rift. He wants to help with that, he says. He was also helped earlier. Now he would like to give back his knowledge and experience as a contribution to society. Another volunteer is Christina Müller-Wilke. The 30-year-old from Penzberg works at the State Office for Digitization, Broadband and Surveying. Today it is taken for granted that you know your way around on your smartphone or computer, with WhatsApp and Zoom, says Müller-Wilke. But not everyone knows their way around. And it is difficult to acquire these skills yourself. That's why she is here.

The first senior citizens who wanted to get tips were already there at the first meeting and celebration. A 75-year-old woman said it was a very good option. You want to use it yourself. "The whole digital development," she said, "is progressing so quickly."

Help is also coming from the Sparkasse Oberland, in the form of 1000 euros.

Georg Summerer, director of the Sparkasse in Penzberg, said that if fears are reduced, digitization will make life easier, and if it is only a matter of checking when a store is open.

The subsidy was welcomed by VHS director Wippermann.

Because with the “computer seniors” they don't just want to bring people together in the afternoon.

It is also planned to invite experts to give lectures in the evening, for example on Internet security or Facebook data.

With the grant you can then pay these experts.

Computer meeting should take place every second Thursday of the month

The “Computer Seniors” meeting takes place every second Thursday of the month, the next time on August 12th, from 3pm to 5.30pm at the VHS in the Rathauspassage. It is an open meeting without a specific topic. However, due to the corona, a registration is currently necessary: ​​Phone 08856/3615 or by e-mail to “info@vhs-penzberg.de”.