As I sat down to work on my Creative Thought recently, I did my usual rambling around the Internet.
I came across a young CEO, a high school junior and founder of TechnoAcademy, who admonishes young people: Leverage Your Youth. Use technology to start a business.
On going to the website, I saw that Technoacademy has a special program to bring the wonders of technology to senior citizens, with education programs offered free of charge to senior citizen centers, starting in the Atlanta area.
From there I came upon a TED talk, from 2011, by a young app maker, Thomas Suarez. At age 12 he had two published apps and a startup company. Speaking for kids today, he said: "For soccer, you could go to a soccer team. For violin, you could get lessons for a violin." Parents have done those things, but what if you want to make an app? Parents haven’t made apps and he wanted kids to be able to make them.
So he created an app club at his school, put his apps at the Apple App Store, and offers his club as a resource for teachers who want to experiment with teaching high tech.
One app, Bustin Jieber, is a whac-a-mole game that replaces the mole with a photo of Justin Bieber’s head, for those who want to whack Justin Bieber. I have no idea about that, but apparently middle school kids do.
Now age 15, he has a company, Carrot Corp, which says it creates apps for iOS, Android and Google Glass, and is also revolutionizing 3D printing with ORB.
The truth is, I’m not even sure exactly what an app is. I have one of those old school cell phones, where I tape the numbers of important people on the back and buy my minutes for the year...$100 a year for 100 minutes.
I now have 364 minutes. This tell you how far behind the curve I am.
So I am definitely a candidate for Technoacademy’s care package for seniors, or an app club once I figure out what sort of app I would like for my yet-to-be purchased smart phone.
But back to leverage. Yes, some seniors need to upgrade their technology skills. Like Robert DeNiro in the recent film,
The Intern. He plays a 70-year-old widowed retiree, Ben, who has tried all the usual retiree pursuits...travel, golf, classes, watching the grandkids, tai-chi in the park, etc.
But he feels there’s a hole in his life. He lacks purpose. He learns of a start-up which wants to expand diversity by offering internships to seniors...not high school or college seniors, but senior citizens.
So Ben applies and is selected. What Ben lacks in computer savvy, such as getting on Facebook, he makes up for in his business and life experience. With his old school approach of wearing a suit, dispensing down-to-earth wisdom to his co-workers and his boss, he becomes an indispensable part of the company. They love him.
I won’t go into detail about the film, but I wondered if any companies besides this fictional one were offering senior internships. I searched the Internet and the only significant thing that I found was the Encore Program in San Francisco, which, according to its website, has pioneered programs to tap the talent and experience of people past midlife as a human resource for solving our most vexing social problems.
The CEO, Marc Freedman, asks on the blog: What one policy should Washington pass to benefit older Americans in 2015? A Legacy Corps -- to support and mobilize one million Americans in their 50s, 60s and 70s to dedicate a year of service to improving prospects for the next generation in such areas as early childhood education, literacy, and school to work transitions.
In other words, leverage the older generation to improve American society while seniors develop a sense of purpose.
This is an exciting time. Technology is creating opportunities for people of any age--from young people with fresh outlooks to senior citizens with their accumulated knowledge.
As Ernest Holmes says, Life lies open to us, full rich and abundant. We have only to open the portals of our soul and allow the infinite to flow to us, and through us and for us.
And so it is.
