It’s common knowledge in today’s world that our teenage kids are more tech-savvy than most of us older parents, especially when it comes to using social media or the latest apps. My children exchange looks of resigned despair when their ancient dad says he doesn’t ‘get’ Snap-chat, or struggles to update his profile on more or less anything.

Teens have surpassed all other age groups, older and younger, in their knowledge of connected software and devices, so who better than our geeky children to teach older generations how to use the latest technologies that might have passed them by?

Well, in Qatar an innovative project is doing just that. The Inter-generational ICT Learning Program, or WASLA, as it’s known locally, is an initiative of the Ministry of Transport and Communications that is run through schools and youth centers. WASLA, which means “connection” in Arabic, enables school facilitators to recruit children aged 15-18 to become ‘Digital Champions’ and provides them with orientation, support materials and tools that they can use to help their older relatives in learning how to access online government services, communicate through social media and use the internet to retrieve information or make online purchases safely. Continue Reading