BBC One FirstClick Project

Strictly Come Surfing: Pupils teach pensioners about web

Tweeting and using Facebook may be everyday activities for most people but for some elderly users the internet is still uncharted territory.

Students from Shorefields Technology College in Liverpool have helped a group of over-65s about using the internet as part of First Click - a BBC initiative to help get senior citizens on line.

One of the college's students, Monique, aged 12, reports for the BBC's School Report, on how she and her fellow pupils were also taught a thing or two.

On the BBC morning news was an article talking about how young people had teamed up with a group of pensioners to help show hem how to access the internet.  

The group of pensioners had little or no knowledge of the internet or how to use it and the young people used their interest in dancing as a bridge to enable them to learn how utilise the possibilities of the internet.  

But the learning did not stop there as both parties gained something out of this new partnership as the pensioners taught the youths how to foxtrot and quickstep.  

This serves as an excellent example, I think, of how the partnership between young and old can be beneficial for both as each have things that they are able to share with the other.  


This raises some interesting questions;

• Are we doing enough to enable such partnerships to form in our youth work?

• What can we do to initiate and/or facilitate opportunities for this to occur in our youth work?

Over to you

What do you think?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Agape

James

Misinterpreted

When I saw this as well as making me laugh it reminded me of the serious message that it portrays about our Christian lives!  How often are our actions misinterpreted by others?

Often we can find ourselves being, as we perceive, obedient to God's will and yet others see a completely different perspective.

How often are we guilty of the same when we read scripture and allow our current situation, or even attitude, to effect what we perceive scripture to mean?  Do we take time to focus on God fully before opening up his word, or do we simply just dive in without dealing with any of our emotional instabilities and read with bias?

Unsure?

When was the last time you read an email, text or even blog and felt yourself becoming frustarated or angered to the point of writing what you really think and firing a reply back, only to discover that you have completely the wrong understanding of events.

Whilst the reverse is also true in that we can be over enthusiastic the principle remains the same that we have taken a text devoid of emotional influx and added our own dependant upon our standpoint regarding the subject and our current emotional state.

We must guard against allowing ourselves to be conformed by our emotions but instead follow the advice Paul gives in Romans 12:2;

•  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

For me this has certainly been a real challenge as I seek to fully engage with what God is trying to teach me.

Back Pain

I have been experiencing awful back pain this past week and it has got me thinking about how we take so much for granted.

How often do we hear how we are fortunate to be born in the UK, in all we have and are able to do, and yet somehow we hear and yet don't quite comprehend the truth.  Often it is not till we are in a position where we loose something that we truly appreciate what it is we have had.

This is certainly true for me as I have found that I have been unable to complete even the simplest of tasks due to the pain I have had in my back and legs.  Suddenly simple tasks like walking become arduous and time consuming, I have found that everything I have had to do has had to have had extra time factored in and  in some instances I have had to just sit and watch while others perform simple tasks that I have just been unable to do.

It has been a sombre reminder of how much I have to be thankful for not just in my general health but in my life in general.  I have been a follower of Jesus for over half my life and have so much to be grateful for and yet none of it is due to my efforts.  I truly thank God for all he has done for me and for all the wonderful people he has surrounded me with who truly are my support in this time of need, not least my very caring and understanding wife and children!

Thank you all for your support and prayers at this painful time.