S-1 Opens 'Senior Digital Experience Center'
Part of Samsung's New CSR 'Senior Digital Academy' Project
Various digital kiosks encountered in daily life, such as in restaurants, cafes, hospitals, and community centers. A training place has been established for digital vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, who hesitated in front of these digital devices. Not only kiosks but also essential mobile application (app) usage, such as train ticket booking, can be learned.
S-1 announced on the 23rd that it opened the ‘Samsung Senior Digital Academy Experience Center,’ a space where elderly people can experience and learn about everyday digital devices, at the Tapgol Art Museum in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The digital experience center was established as part of Samsung’s new CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) project for socially vulnerable groups called the ‘Senior Digital Academy.’
The Senior Digital Academy is a project that supports elderly digital vulnerable groups to skillfully use digital devices to resolve inconveniences in daily life and further strengthen their employment capabilities. S-1 is the lead organizer, and eight affiliated companies, including Cheil Worldwide, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Bioepis, Hotel Shilla, Samsung Welstory, Samsung Medical Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, and Samsung Global Research, also participate in the project.
Digital Experience Center Opens for the Elderly
The Seoul Digital Experience Center, which opened this time, is located on the first floor of the Tapgol Art Museum in Jongno and covers an area of 330㎡. It will operate for three weeks from this day until the 14th of next month. It is explained that it will be operated temporarily so that the elderly can directly experience digital devices in daily life and improve their capabilities as part of this year’s Senior Digital Academy education schedule.
The Seoul Digital Experience Center consists of ▲a promotional zone introducing the Senior Digital Academy project ▲an experience education zone where digital devices can be experienced according to situations at places such as banks, community centers, fast food restaurants, hospitals, pharmacies, and movie theaters ▲an ethics and video education zone that educates on how to prevent voice phishing and smishing fraud crimes and online etiquette through videos ▲and an indoor and outdoor community zone for resting and chatting.
S-1 plans to sequentially open experience centers in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, starting with the Seoul Digital Experience Center. An S-1 official said, "We planned the experience center so that the ‘digitalized daily life’ would no longer be a barrier but a convenient tool for the elderly."
Senior Digital Academy, Linked to Employment
Samsung started a new CSR project called the ‘Senior Digital Academy’ this year, led by S-1, to strengthen the digital capabilities of the elderly. Recently, as all daily activities, from issuing various documents, ordering food, to managing bank accounts, have rapidly digitalized, the inconvenience in the lives of the elderly generation vulnerable to these changes has increased. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency targeting 500 kiosk users, more than half (53.6%) of respondents aged 60 and over reported difficulties in operating the devices.
Before starting the Senior Digital Academy, S-1 trained 150 life support workers affiliated with local elderly institutions as specialized digital education instructors. They visit elderly households to provide one-on-one education on smartphone usage, mobile shopping, financial transactions, reservation methods, as well as prevention methods against digital-based crimes such as voice phishing and smishing.
Digital education linked to employment is also provided so that the elderly can build basic digital skills and participate socially through employment. After discovering companies or institutions planning to hire elderly people, the participating elderly are intensively trained according to the job skills required by these organizations to ensure satisfaction for both the hiring institutions and the employed elderly. Seoul Metro was selected as the first employment target this year, and practical training was conducted for two weeks starting in early March. Among the 40 elderly participants, 30 were confirmed for employment and are currently working as contract workers in short-term baggage storage and delivery jobs within subway stations at Seoul Metro. S-1 plans to discover 2 to 3 more places within the year and conduct customized education linked to employment. The goal is to educate a total of 100 people this year.
Namgung Beom, CEO of S-1, said, "The Samsung Senior Digital Academy operates various educational programs aiming to ‘resolve inconveniences in daily life’ and ‘create jobs’ for the senior generation," adding, "We will accompany the senior generation so that they can enjoy their second life without inconveniences in the digital society."
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