About
Connected Canadians was founded in 2018. Co-founders and women in technology Emily Jones Joanisse and Tas Damen have spent countless hours helping older adults in their network develop digital literacy skills. However, both women felt that despite their best efforts, they were not able to reach as many people as they wished. As such, they decided to join forces to create an organization that would provide a more scalable and sustainable solution.
Connected Canadians uses a customized, hands-on learning centred approach. Volunteers with a high comfort level in technology are paired with senior clients. Working side-by-side, either one-on-one or in group workshops, they tackle clients’ various technology challenges, frequently learning together in real time.
Many Connected Canadians volunteers are also newcomers to Canada. These volunteers benefit from the cultural awareness and conversational opportunities that come from their interaction with older clients, while clients feel a sense of pride and connection in helping to welcome and integrate these newcomers into our communities.
Hear the stories of some of our learners on our testimonials page.