As society continues down the path of digital integration, those who have not grown up surrounded by technology may feel left behind or lost when trying to navigate these new innovations. Luckily for the senior citizens at Cameron Senior Center, TechPals is here to help guide them.
TechPals is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide senior citizens with in-person tech support. With its head chapter in New Hampshire, Westford Academy junior Nathen Ombalayil has brought TechPals to Westford and is also the local group’s president.
TechPals answer any questions the seniors may have about their devices, and to enable them to be more knowledgeable about the tech world they now live in.
”I have two grandparents at home who aren’t really tech savvy and don’t know how to use technology as well as teenagers,” Ombalayil said. “[Although] it’s a big stretch for the older generation to become as tech literate as us, I believe that they should be given the opportunity and the chance to become tech wizards [too].”
Some of Ombalayil’s friends were eager to be a part of this community, and jumped at the opportunity to become cabinet members. The cabinet consists of club president Ombalayil, junior vice president Zayan Shamim, junior secretary Pranav Yellanki, junior outreach coordinator Edwin John, and junior treasurer Rohan Kaushik.
“[TechPals] sounded like a great opportunity to get involved with the community and give back a little,” John said. “I’d say we’re all pretty tech savvy, we love playing games together and we are all pretty knowledgeable about tech, so putting those skills to use sounded like a great opportunity.”
This chapter’s efforts don’t stop in Westford, however, as TechPals is looking to reach as many towns as they can. Although they currently only operate at the Cameron Senior Center, over the summer the group plans to start a partnership with the Littleton Senior Center as well.
TechPals is currently meeting once a month and for a session that runs from 2:30-4:00 p.m. at the Cameron Senior Center. With consistent attendance rates of about 16 seniors per session, the group always makes a plan to ensure that each senior gets the personal help that they need.
“We make sure that each senior has at least a little bit of one-on-one time with one of our volunteers […] to make sure they get that personal experience,” Ombalayil said. “We like to say that it’s like tech support, but in-person and more friendly than a random guy screaming at you.”
To make sure that the seniors don’t grow dependent on the club to deal with any digital confusion, TechPals make an effort to educate them about larger technological issues that establish broader skills.
“Phishing schemes, learning about AI, we teach them about all [of] these things because we don’t want to create a dependency where they just need to go to us every time there’s an issue,” John said. “We want to teach them real literacy, where they can become savvy with technology.”
According to John, a guiding philosophy of TechPals is giving the seniors the gift of independence when it comes to technology.
”The main point we emphasize with our volunteers is the philosophy of not just fixing the problem for them, but showing them how to fix it for themselves,” John said.
The mission of TechPals isn’t limited to those in the senior center either—many people who are not part of the Cameron community have attended sessions as well, and have recommended that the organization takes its sessions to their towns as well.
“We are always looking to grow. We have a good amount of volunteers and we would like to spread out [our technology knowledge] more, and reach more seniors everywhere.” Ombalayil said.
According to the club members, the key to being an effective volunteer isn’t necessarily extensive technological knowledge, but rather the ability to communicate with others and ask for help.
“If I don’t know something […] I’ll ask one of my friends, volunteers, or cabinet members how to fix it. We may not always have the solution, but one of our peers might,” Ombalayil said. “We are always looking for volunteers. As long as you know how to use a cell phone, laptop, or [understand] simple stuff for us teenagers, then you’re set to be a volunteer.”
Communication is not only crucial for working as a team, but also for supporting the seniors in a respectful manner, according to John.
“We make sure that [volunteers] know how to interact with seniors, because our main job here is to support [them],” John said. “We want to make sure that they are right with knowing how to communicate with [the seniors] and doing [so] in a respectful manner.”
Not only does TechPals provide students with an opportunity to give back to the community and be an asset to the seniors, but they can also gain volunteering hours from participating in these sessions.
“Since we are a certified nonprofit, I am able to sign off on hours for the work [people] have done,” Ombalayil said. “We also are a club under WA PRIDE, so it’s beneficial for both WA students and students outside of the school.”
Even from their first meeting, it was clear that this new chapter of TechPals was going to become a successful and supportive community.
“[At] our first meeting our turnout was pretty good. A lot of people showed up and it felt really good to help,” Shamim said.
TechPals encourages any senior centers interested in hosting a session to reach out, search them up on Instagram: @TechPals.westford, and join their google classroom with the code YUVWOTG.
