Seniors Smart With Mobile Devices, Thanks To Teens

When Carolyn R. Kubiak, 70, recently became puzzled, having problems with her e-reader, an electronic mobile device she relies on these days to read books digitally, she didn't know what to do. One of her problems was that her e-reader kept losing power. 

With a total of 90 books on the device, she thought it might be running out of memory.  But she had no idea how to eliminate books she no longer needed.  Nor how to calculate accurately how much space was actually left on the reading device. 

Then she learned about "GadgitKids."  GadgitKids is the brainchild of 60-year-old Cecilia Tucker. Tucker got the idea for starting her company while buying a smartphone. She realized in making the purchase she was likely going to lack the patience, skills and time to try to decipher the user's manual to understand how to take full advantage of the phone's operating system and applications.  Jokingly, she told the salesperson what she needed was a teenager to show her how to use her new device. Hours later that thought became more than a joke to her. 

She woke-up thinking she says, "If I need a teenager, who else needs one to help them with their smartphones?  It's not just people my age.  It's a lot of people who don't know what they have on their phone and don't know how to maximize its features to benefit them the most."   And, thus, GadgitKids was born.

GadgitKids is an innovative business, still in its infancy, whereby technology-savvy young people, most in their teens, help people, with many clients being older adults, in how to use their various electronic mobile devices.  All GadgitKids receive extensive training.  Part of that training includes how to deal patiently and respectfully with customers, especially seniors who may have special challenges, such as visual or physical issues, that make it more difficult to them to learn and use this new technology.  But thanks to the training these young teachers receive, people regardless of age, tend to learn how to use their devices in a short amount of time.  

How short?  According to Kubiak, all it took was a mere one-hour session at a local Starbuck's with her GadgitKid Jerick, 16, to bring her up to speed on the capabilities of her e-reader. This included for her knowing how to eliminate books from her device and discovering she had far more memory still left on her e-reader for more books than she had thought. 

Services are delivered by GadgitKids strictly in one-on-one sessions and these young instructors know how to use all of the major mobile gadgets currently on the market including: smartphones, laptops, iPads, iPods, e-readers, GPS devices and Flip phones.

The one-hour training sessions are routinely held at public locations for the young people's safety where Wi-Fi is available, such as a coffee shop or fast food restaurant, which often times are more convenient for local seniors needing a session.  Individual training sessions are also available at the GadgitKids' business office, 10823 Seminole Blvd. in Largo.  The cost for a one-hour session is $40, with one dollar from every session going toward scholarships to help GadgitKids with their higher education.  Tucker said this year probably only one student will receive a scholarship, but as the programs grows more scholarships will be awarded in the years to come. 

GadgitKids is based in Pinellas County but is willing to come to Bradenton and Manatee County for a small extra charge.

However, Tucker says building awareness and a presence in the communities mentioned is only the beginning.  Her goal is to keep GadgitKids growing throughout the Bay area and at some point to franchise GadgitKids across the country to help get adults educated with the latest technology in mobile devices with savvy kids in their communities.  "It's all about reverse mentoring, where a young person is teaching and sharing his or her knowledge with an older person for a change.  Young people have so much to offer." 

For more information on GadgitKids, please call (727) 258-4897 or send an e-mail to:info@gadgitkids.com.     

Editor's Note: Jerick's last name is not being published for this story at the request of GadgitKids, in keeping with the company's safety procedures for the young people it hires to provide services.