The Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) has teamed up with the Santander City Council and the Fundación Telefónica (Telefónica Foundation) to train volunteers and instructors who will be in charge of giving workshops designed to strengthen the digital skills of the population, especially the elderly.
The rector of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Rubén Calderón, participated last Tuesday in the signing of two collaboration agreements with the Santander City Council, represented by Mayor Gema Igual, and the Fundación Telefónica, represented by Joan Cruz, its Director of Institutional Relations. These agreements will enable the organization of learning workshops on new technologies in the city’s network of civic centers.
As detailed in the appearance, these workshops will be taught by monitors of the civic centers and student volunteers from the European University of the Atlantic to which, previously, the Fundación Telefónica will provide specialized training in the field of new technologies thanks to the collaboration and knowledge of its Voluntarios Telefónica (Telefónica Volunteers).
The training offer is aimed at the entire population in general but is specifically aimed at the elderly, as it offers basic notions so that this group can handle themselves with solvency in the digital environment. In this sense, it has been advanced that the contents are focused on familiarizing users in the use and management of the cell phone in general, the smartphone, applications such as WhatsApp, and provide instructions on cybersecurity.
The workshops are scheduled to begin in December and will be held in the ten civic centers that have telecenter through 5 two-hour sessions, with a frequency of one day a week. Those interested may register at the civic centers where the courses are held.
A beneficial alliance for Santander
The mayor thanked Fundación Telefónica and the Universidad Europea del Atlántico for their collaboration: “This is an alliance for the benefit of Santander, and these entities are always there when you need them,” he remarked.
For his part, the rector of the UNEATLANTICO, Rubén Calderón, expressed his satisfaction at collaborating in this initiative for the benefit of the elderly. “We live in a global and digital world, but we don’t forget where we come from and what our elders represent,” he said.
He also recalled that this collaboration agreement is part of the social action and development cooperation activities carried out by the university through its Oficina de Cooperación y Acción Social (Cooperation and Social Action Office, OCAS). The event was also attended by the councilor for Neighborhoods, Lorena Gutiérrez, the director of Telefónica in Cantabria, Joaquín González, as well as the director of the Escuela Politécnica Superior de UNEATLANTICO (Higher Polytechnic School of UNEATLANTICO), Manuel Masías.