The National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) recently awarded the Flow Foundation with its Corporate Service Award in recognition of the organisation’s work in creating and enabling a supportive environment for seniors.

The presentation was made during the council’s 45th Anniversary Virtual National Senior Awards Ceremony as it highlighted the Flow Foundation as an outstanding partner in support of the mandate of the council, such as digital inclusion and other major initiatives in support of healthy, active ageing.

In her comments, NCSC executive director, Cassandra Morrison said, “We believe that our senior citizens make a significant contribution to our society.  We are grateful to the Flow Foundation for supporting our initiatives over the years and commend them for always including our seniors in their programmes.”

In accepting the award, Stephen Price, chairman of the Flow Foundation, shared that his organisation was humbled by the recognition. 

“Our primary aim is to truly transform lives with our technology and drive the digital inclusion of all Jamaicans.  Our senior citizens are an important stakeholder in this mission and so, we are proud of the work we are doing to support your community,” he said.

“We have always ensured that our senior citizens are a part of our digital inclusion drive.  We are particularly pleased with their participation in our programmes and seeing their preparation to embrace the opportunities available in today’s digital economy as they recover with resilience from the impact of this pandemic,” Price further stated.

Scores of seniors have enthusiastically embraced the Flow Foundation’s digital education programmes. 

In the Skills for the Future Programme, being administered by the Caribbean School of Data (CSOD) at the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM), three seniors were among the first cohort of graduates while over one hundred are actively enrolled and working through the programme.

Dr Maurice McNaughton, Director of the Center of Innovation at the MSBM, commented, “The digital platform has become the dominant mode of engagement – whether in commerce, social interaction, or economic activity. This means that digital literacy and data skills are critical for every member of our society whether young, old or physically challenged. It is very encouraging to see how many of our seniors have gotten on board with the CSOD community to become digitally literate.”

Similarly, over one hundred seniors are registered in the Training for Professionals Programme which is being executed by One on One Educational Services Ltd. 

Enrolment trends indicate that Microsoft Office/Certification is the most subscribed course by the seniors followed by Leadership/Management, Project Management and Information Technology respectively.

For Ricardo Allen, CEO of One On One Educational Services Ltd, “The advancement of the digital space has implications for all of us.  I am happy that our seniors are recognizing the need to adapt and prepare themselves for a digital future by taking the opportunity to upskill themselves. I encourage each and every one of them to go for it. The sky is the limit, especially when it comes to education.”

The Flow Foundation has a long history of supporting the senior citizen community through various initiatives.  In addition to its free digital education programmes – Training for Professionals and Skills for the Future, the foundation has also included seniors in its annual Safer Internet Week of activities.

The most recent session, focused on online safety tips and banking, may be found on Flow Jamaica’s YouTube channel.