STC (Seniors Technology Club) Program – 2nd edition / 2019-2020 Report – The Ivanaj Foundations of New York & Tirana

The sun shined brightly at the beginning of this new year after two dreadful earthquake experiences of last fall in Albania, and we started 2020 with a pleasant trip to the cultural city of Shkodra with the Seniors Technology Club participants and our volunteers on January 10th. The trip was a culmination of the 8-week program that we started on Seniors Day, October 1^st, but was interrupted by the seismic activity in its conclusion that was to take place in December 2019.

The phase 2 of this STC program that we originally initiated in 2018, involved a larger audience in 2019. In total we had 45 Seniors and 20 young Volunteers that exchanged experience and knowledge among themselves, as we aimed and hoped for.

We recruited the seniors by collaborating with the social center “Të qëndrojme së bashku” and the Multidisciplinary Social Center in Tirana, while others came from the leaflets or word of mouth that we spread. They started learning the basics of PC, continued with Google and its features (like Translate, Maps etc.) and then passed into getting to feel more comfortable with the social apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram etc.

During the whole program they had also open discussions between generations and shared joyful moments like a performance of young children learning guitar playing that we hosted during the yearend holidays.

STC was launched to boost the collaboration in Albania between the seniors and the youth, by providing additional bridges of communications, through technology, with the following objectives:

Raising the awareness of Seniors about technological development, lack of which puts them into the sidelines in the fast deployment in our current society.
Breaking the barriers of communications between different age groups.
Preserving for the future generations the values and culture of the Albanian Society.
Providing the youth of Albania with a better vision of the possibilities that its country offers by sharing life experiences of their elders.

While the program’s original goals remained the same, our aim for its 2^nd edition was to make it more comprehensive all the way around, including enlarging the number of attendees of the first phase we piloted in 2018. Based on the latest results, we have made it, even though our fundraising campaign for it did not reach the desired amount.

We created quite an impact in increasing the confidence and optimism in more than 60 youth and seniors, while in the 1^st edition the attendees were only 20. In this round we provided more interesting information that sparkled very lively and collaborative open discussions. Besides the basics of PCs, Email, Facebook, and WhatsApp, they also learned more about Google platforms, as stated above.

Our work was talked about on the Albanian television “Ne” program of TVSH, and also in a VOA report. We are grateful for the donations we have received, and are proud to have reached such positive outcome mainly by using our own staff and our own premises.

Following are a few of the comments posted online by some of the participants that benefitted from this program, translated into English:

An impressive experience, we learned a lot of things which we didn’t know. Klevis and the staff are amazing, and we had such a good time. Thank you for the time that you dedicated to us. We will be waiting for another activity just like this one. See you!

Yes, indeed an exemplary welcoming from their part. Thanks to your staff. Respects! You were tireless and very patient with us. You are amazing. We had such an impressive experience. We really thank you!

I was sad that this phase was over. We learned, we get to know new friends and I thank you our boy Klevis and all the volunteers, young boys and girls for their patience for us seniors, but please don’t forget us! Greetings!

An impressive activity with good values.

Violeta K: I feel sad that it’s over, as it was such a good feeling when we had to come there. We always were looking forward to it and the staff was amazing. I wish there are other training sessions like it. Mira M: It was an amazing staff with a tireless leader, like Klevis was. It was a pleasure for being part of the group.

It was a beautiful and perfectly qualitative setup. Everything was well-thought, from the historical values of the city in different periods of its development, up to the typical and most impressive aspects of this city like no other one, like production of amazing masks with such a beauty and technique, not leaving behind the impressive culinary appearance and taste, just so natural and traditional. It’s a merit of the organizers of this event even the perfect management of timing and excellent communication with all the participants. Grateful to the president of the “Ivanaj” foundation, to the clever guy Klevis who successfully finalized this event in such an amazing way. Respects and gratitude for them!

Lindita K: Many thanks from my heart to the Ivanaj Foundation which organized this beautiful and impressive activity, I wish for long life to Mrs. Ivanaj. Thanks to Klevis, the well-educated boy, and all the girls who accompanied us, as well as Adriatik Agency and Mario, we thank you from the depths of our hearts! Flora A: It was an astonishing excursion. Live long and glory to the Ivanaj Foundation and the acts of the two intellectual and patriotic Ivanaj brothers.

Thanks... Ahmet O: I thank you for the work on the organizing of this program with us seniors and the intertwining with the new technologies and youth. It was a special activity full of values, and the organizing was unimaginable good.

Even though there were rainy days, everybody came Klevis, because we are happy to come so us seniors are not left behind on the new innovations that surround us. And how can we not come in such a beautiful, clean and warm facility as yours and an amazing teacher who is never tired of us?! I thank all the young volunteers who stayed close to us and to the Ivanaj Foundations, Mrs. Drita. But I would ask you for this not to end, and for there to be more activities for us.