At the invitation of Brisbane Seniors Online, Cr Trina Massey, Councillor for The Gabba Ward visited the Woolloongabba training facility and headquarters which is in The Gabba Ward.
Cr Massey was keen to see the facility, meet volunteers and see the Apple Support Special Interest group meeting on the 10 August 2023. Brisbane Seniors Online has been operating in the Greater Brisbane area for over 20 years helping seniors and over 50s with aspects of technology and the internet. Home tuition is provided by male and female volunteer mentors.
Learners who join Brisbane Seniors Online receive home tuition on their computer or smart device and learn how to confidently use them, recognise and minimise risk and safely surf the internet. During the pandemic and since, more and more financial transactions and shopping were done online. With the closure of shop fronts and bank branches, more online activity made computer users vulnerable. This resulted in the proliferation of scams and more fraudulent activity.
Losses from scams has reached record levels. ACCC data shows Australians lost a total of $3.1 billion to scams in 2022 – an 80 per cent increase over 2021.
“Australians lost more money to scams than ever before in 2022, but the true cost of scams is much more than a dollar figure as they also cause emotional distress to victims, their families and businesses,” Ms Lowe from the ACCC said.
Brisbane Seniors Online can assist seniors and over 50s on how to recognise scams and use the internet safely and confidently.
Several special interest groups operate by Zoom, face to face or both. These include Apple, digital photography, Linux and a mentor support group. Of course, to carry out this work, more mentors and new learners are required. The Brisbane Seniors Online training facility also has a need for more office volunteers. Residents who live locally in the South Brisbane and West End area should consider offering to volunteer in this role.
Learners pay an affordable membership fee of a $20 one-off joining fee and $45 for a year. As a guide, this gives them around 12 hours of home lessons if needed and then ongoing support for the balance of their membership year.
For more information of how to volunteer as a mentor, office volunteer or new learner, contact the Brisbane Seniors Online central office at Woolloongabba on 3393 2225 or see the website www.bsol.asn.au and Facebook.
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