30 Mar 2004
EarthLink and AARP Texas Launch GenerationLink Program in three Dallas Schools
DALLAS—Senior citizens will let net-savvy teenagers offer lessons on how to travel the information super highway Monday, April 5, at 11 a.m. at Justin F. Kimball High School, 3606 South Westmoreland.
EarthLink, one of the nation's leading Internet service providers, and AARP Texas will launch GenerationLink bringing together students at Justin F. Kimball High School, Townview Magnet Center and Hillcrest High School to teach senior citizens aged 60 and above, from several local senior centers, how to use the Internet.
Once a week for six weeks, senior citizens age 60 and above from several Dallas senior centers will travel to the three high schools to sit side-by-side with students and learn how to use the Internet. At the end of the program, EarthLink will award a scholarship to the student from each high school who writes the best essay about the experience.
The EarthLink project is being implemented through the Dallas Independent School District's service learning, a Safe and Drug-Free Schools program. Dallas is the first city in Texas to implement EarthLink's national program.
The program hopes to forge a connection between teens and seniors that otherwise might not occur. Statistically, less than half of all adults ages 50 and older are on-line, according to a 2003 Harris Interactive study.