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Our younger girls, ages 7-9, spent a “Teach for Tech” day this August at the Holyoke Senior Center “helping old people use their phones,” as they unceremoniously put it. (To which the seniors joked: “Who you calling old?!”) Under the guidance of mentors at the Senior Center, plus Kim Colwell, our director of elementary school programs, 14 girls sought out residents who wanted to be a bit more tech savvy, and then got down to coaching.

They taught one senior how to enlarge the screen on her tablet, another how to build a Facebook page, and others how to send texts and emails. “I was most impressed that the girls walked up to people that they didn’t know to offer their help,” marveled Colwell. And what did the girls most enjoy? Showing seniors how to take better selfies!