As part of the BeSmartOnline project, children in sixth grade are being encouraged to pair up with a grandparent (or a friend of the family aged 55-plus) to spend time with them on the computer.

Studies have shown that while Maltese children are avid users of ICTs, only about a third of people aged over 55 are making any use of these technologies.

A spokesman for the Malta Communications Authority believes that the ICT abilities of children could lead to helping the older generations understand and appreciate ICT use in daily life. On the other hand, children also need to be good online citizens and learn to respect and help adults also in the online world.

The children’s experiences will be recorded and shared. A poster competition has been introduced in schools to encourage children to take pictures and write short essays. Local communications and technology providers are offering attractive prizes.

Meanwhile, the MCA and the 19 community training and learning centres across Malta and Gozo celebrated the Get Online Week 2013 recently.

The event is a pan-European initiative organised by Telecentre-Europe across 30 countries with the involvement of more than 10,000 ICT learning centres which is aimed at helping more people to go digital and start using ICTs as part of their everyday life.

Various activities were organised locally. More than 600 people aged 55 and over have started their basic ‘ICT for All’ training at one of the 19 centres.

For most of these participants, the training was their first encounter with a computer and the internet, and will also serve as the doorway to a future digital lifestyle.