14 Year Old Conducts Classes To Make Senior Citizens Tech Savvy
Senior citizens often face troubles while using technology. 14 year old Tanvi Arvind started online classes to make senior citizens tech savvy.
Senior citizens often face troubles while using technology. Some struggle to download new applications, or to send a simple text message. Fourteen-year-old Tanvi Arvind’s grandparents found themselves in a similar situation. In 2018, Tanvi, a resident of Chennai was visiting her grandparents in Bengaluru during her summer break noticed her grandparents were struggling to send a message through their smartphones and they found it to be too confusing. Tanvi said, “I taught them all the basics — unlocking the device, opening an application, typing a message, using voice dictation, and even adding events on the calendar. The same year, she attended a 25-day event organised by Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA). “It was after this programme I decided to start my own business of offering coaching to senior citizens on how to use their smartphones and named the venture TechEdEn,” says Tanvi. Tanvi asked friends and family to spread the word. Many people got in touch with Tanvi and requested help for their parents or grandparents. Accompanied by her sister, she would personally visit the client’s homes and teach whatever they wished to learn.
In 2019, she reached out to 68 people through in-person classes, and in 2020, she taught 25 people through online classes. Tanvi added, “For the online classes, I had to change my teaching pattern. Since everything was happening virtually, over zoom calls, I started to teach them how to make video calls, mute themselves, turn on the video, send video call invites and how to order food and groceries online,” G B Patankar (81), a resident of Bengaluru, said, “Thanks to Tanvi, I was able to join a zoom call and participate in a group call. Through the lockdown, I was able to stay in touch with my siblings and colleagues.” Tanvi has taken a short break for her annual exams. But during the holidays, she plans to resume her classes. She is also working on a handbook for the citizens she has already taught so that if after class they have a doubt they can just refer to the handbook.
