The University of St. Maarten (USM) is having a class entitled: “Computers and the forging of cross-communal ties among seniors citizens, St. Maarten cultural heritage in the making” for senior members of the community.
Dean of Academics and Interim President of USM, Francio Guadeloupe, indicated that the USM has taken note of the importance of stimulating the bringing together of three glocal (global/local) trends in our region, namely, the rise of information technology and social media; the renewed multi-culturalization due to migration of workers and employers; and the ageing of society.
As such, the USM in collaboration with the St. Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association has created a program for the seniors aimed at forging of cross-communal ties among seniors via the enhancement of their computer literacy.
This course affords seniors the opportunity to reflect on the transformation of St. Maarten society and the role of their respective communities, it allows them to explore and construct cultural heritage, vital for all St. Maarteners, Guadeloupe said.
The course outline is as follows: a general introduction to what a computer is and how it fits into the changing historical conjuncture focused specifically on SXM, latest offshoots, Ipad and smartphones; software and related developments; hands-on practical exercises with software/hardware; social media, creating and managing Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts; etc.
Interactive sessions between different persons in different parts of the world will also be part of the course. This shared experience will be videotaped and a video/historical databank created for SXM cultural heritage in the making. In the end, a network will be created amongst the participants.
The course is sponsored by Grand Marche. Mr. Julian Lake Policy Advisor of the ICT Department of Government of St. Maarten will do the instruction.