Multicultural seniors to become tech savvy

The Victorian Government is partnering with Telstra to provide free technology training to help seniors from multicultural backgrounds become connected online for the first time.

Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, Martin Foley, announced the 11 libraries that will be part of the expanded Victorian Tech Savvy Seniors program.

The libraries and the languages that training will be delivered in are:

• Brimbank Libraries

  • Arabic, Macedonian, Vietnamese

• Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation

  • Italian, Mandarin

• Darebin Libraries

  • Chinese, Macedonian

• Goulbourn Valley Regional Library Service

  • Arabic, Dari

• Greater Dandenong Libraries

  • Arabic, Croatian, Vietnamese

• Hume Libraries

  • Arabic

• Monash Library Service

  • Chinese, Greek, Italian

• Moreland Library Services

  • Italian

• Whitehorse-Manningham Regional Library Corporation

  • Cantonese, Mandarin

• Yarra Libraries

  • Greek, Mandarin, Vietnamese

• Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service

  • Greek, Italian, Macedonian

The expansion will now see support for seniors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to access the program’s technology classes.

The partnership is delivering face-to-face technology training sessions to more than 6,000 seniors in over 40 library services across Victoria. Sessions cover a range of topics, including an introduction to using tablets, using the internet and social media and how to stay safe online.

The program is part of the Government’s action to increase community participation for seniors through the new Age-Friendly Victoria Initiative.

For more information about the Victorian Tech Savvy Seniors program see www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au

12 July 2016.