Advancing The Intergenerational Computer Technology Center

In the '60s when Jim Rouse envisioned his New Town of Columbia, his goal was to "build a complete city that met the basic needs of its people including: housing, jobs, recreation, health care, educational and cultural institutions." In the early '90s when Don Bard and Paul Demmitt founded the Lazarus Foundation (a nonprofit computer recycling organization), their goal was to create an organization that, through technology, would support the community and, like Jim Rouse's Columbia, offer county residents a place where they could learn and benefit from each other's skills and expertise.

Four years ago the Foundation moved its operation into Atholton High School. Since that time the Foundation has observed that there are few opportunities for technology-savvy young people who have grown up with the tools of the 21st century to show others how to use those tools, and even fewer occasions for older adults to pass their accumulated knowledge on to a younger generation. Turning the clock ahead to the year 2010, planners in Howard County forecast there will be more people over the age of 60 living in the county than children in the county's school system. Knowing that there will be strong competition for the limited funds that will be available in the future, it is essential that the county's youth and older adults learn about and appreciate what the other has to offer - now, rather than later.

To help the community better understand the needs of both generations, the Foundation believes that intergenerational initiatives will be one effective way to respond to this emerging issue. In anticipation, earlier this year the Foundation, in conjunction with the Howard County Office of Citizen Services, Office on Aging, Office of Children's Services, Association of Community Services, Grandparents as Parents, Howard County Library, Howard County Public School System and Provident Bank sponsored an event called "Gen~Tech É Linking the Generations Through Computer Technology" at the East Columbia library. At this event, grandparents, aunts, uncles and their young family members learned how to assemble a working computer and do online research, and participated in an online treasure hunt. The event confirmed the belief that computer technology can connect the generations and thus benefit all age groups in the same fashion that good schools benefit the entire community. As a result, the Foundation has launched its most ambitious initiative, the creation of a countywide Intergenerational Computer Technology Center (ICTC).

The Center will be a facility county residents can visit to learn more about repairing and upgrading computers - a place to acquire new computer software skills, have access to or even obtain a computer. One of the significant aspects of the ICTC is that students will work with adults as peers, rather than as authority figures, while at the same time adults can share their accumulated experiences and memoirs with the students. In essence, the ICTC becomes a true community center, providing learning opportunities and building relationships.

To learn more about the ICTC, please contact Don Bard at lazaruspc@aol.com or call 410-531-8485.