THE EIGHTH,  UK-WIDE, ANNUAL SILVER SURFERS' DAY IS ON FRIDAY, MAY 15^th

Joan Bakewell, Angela Rippon, Martyn Lewis and Patricia Routledge are all involved: http://ssd09celebs.notlong.com

Channel Chamber of Commerce is offering IT tasters in the aisles of Folkestone Sainsbury's: http://ssd09sainsburys.notlong.com

Chesham High School is doing it with a local sheltered home and schools in Paris and Africa: http://ssd09chesham.notlong.com

Then there's the Scilly Isles Council House: http://ssd09scilly.notlong.com ; the 85 events in Hampshire (is there something Digital in the Shire Water?): http://ssd09hants.notlong.com ; and the Silver Surfers' Club in Fort William: http://ssd09fortwilliam.notlong.com .  There are many, many more…

On top of all that there are ways for absolutely everyone – any age, IT beginner or old-hand - to get involved with 'Live Online Events'. This includes a Tell Us A Joke 'roll' and a co-operative Flickr album. Oh, and you can 'Tweet if you Truly Care!' More on all that here: http://ssd09liveonline.notlong.com

(Warning: the above link may lead to an outbreak of chuckling!).

Please invite your audience: to phone 0800 100 900, freephone National Learning Helpline, to find a local Silver Surfers' Day Event in England, Wales, Scotland or NI. They can find the Silver Surfers' Day website by googling 'Silver Surfers' Day' (the word *day* is important) or going straight to http://silversurfers.digitalunite.com .

Background

Silver Surfers’ Day is the biggest annual, UK, digital campaign for older users. On May 15^th 2009….

• • We help thousands of older people get online, and discover how computers can change their lives.
  • It's part of a campaign to battle "digital disenfrancishment" and help older people take part in the digital revolution.
  • There are hundreds of free events across the country, held by everyone from schools & libraries to community groups & businesses. We've even had events in pubs and allotments!
  • It's run every year by Digital Unite - an organisation specialising in digital training for older people. It takes place annually on the Friday of Adult Learners Week (ALW) . (ALW is co-ordinated by lifelong learning charity NIACE.)

In 2009, Silver Surfers is going to be bigger than ever.

• • They’ll be more than 750 events.
  • We’ve a new initiative called Schools for Silver Surfers, which plans to link the UK's vast school network with the 8-10 million older people not yet online, thus helping older people learn new media and younger people learn citizenship skills, local history and social skills across generations.

We can….

• • Put you in touch with people holding and attending events and introduce you to great characters and stories.
  • Match you up with a  local event – maybe you can collaborate on a joint project ? Can they can upload pictures to your website or comment on your blogs?
  • Help you run an event yourself.  Why not? With our resources, it’s easy. You’ll learn what it’s really all about - plus get a great story.
  • Give you as much big picture ‘back story’ as you need, especially about why digital disenfranchisment is something we’ve all got to fight against.

Ed's Notes:

About Digital Unite (DU)
DU, media literacy experts for older people, have managed and run Silver Surfers' Day for the past seven years and offer free resources for organisations willing to host IT Taster Events for older people. Organisations can be: large or small, business, public or non-profit. DU offer this support year-round,  and especially on Silver Surfers' Day, on http://silversurfers.digitalunite.com .

For information about DU, email gill.adams@digitalunite.net .

Statistics
• 9.2 million people aged 55 and over are excluded from technology (computers and Internet) (Office National Statistics‚ 2008)

• Research by the Post Office, a broadband provider, suggested that households that were not online could be missing out on savings of up to £840 a year on goods and services.

Sponsors and supporters
Thanks to our SSD09 sponsors, Wiltshire Farm Foods, who say this:

'Wiltshire Farm Foods is honoured to sponsor Silver Surfers' Day. The Internet can be a confusing place, which is compounded by a focus on younger demographics by website managers. Encouraging and supporting more and more seniors to go online can only be of benefit.'

http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com/

Thanks to our SSD09 sponsors, and Event-Holders (25 Events!), McCarthy & Stone, who say this:

'The concept of the internet can appear quite intimidating to many older people..until they try it. The secret is to find simple ways for people to experience it and the SSD Events do just that, along of course with the benefit of a little friendly tuition to help people along the way.

Mccarthy & Stone are proud to join up with Digital Unite to help spread knowledge and the benefits of IT to older people.'  Blog post on them is here: http://ssd09McandS.notlong.com

Thanks, too, to our supportive partner, UK online centres, who say this:

'UK online centres will run the "It’s never too late to get online" campaign during May and have teamed up with Digital Unite as part of Silver Surfers’ Day on Friday 15 May to encourage more men and women over 65 years old to try the internet for the very first time.' http://www.ukonlinecentres.com