The sun wasn’t even out yet when 47 Globe volunteers arrived at the SM North Edsa Sky Dome one early morning on a special mission: to help turn senior citizens into #SeniorDigizens.

Throughout the four-hour “Teach Me How To Digi” Learning Session on January 25, the volunteers assisted some 200 seniors as they went through lessons on digital skills, including Smartphone 101, and using email and life-enabling apps such as the GlobeOne app, GCash and KonsultaMD.

One of them was Jerome Callueng from Globe’s Channel Management Group, a “lola’s boy” who signed up because we knew how seniors struggle with using digital technology.

“Lola’s boy kasi ako. So before my lola died, she ventured into iPads and other devices. I found out nahihirapan siya. I wanted to help the senior citizens given na alam ko ‘yung hirap ng senior citizens natin when they’re dealing with technology or digital electronics,” said Callueng.

Janette Patricia Guillen from Globe’s Information Systems Group (ISG), meanwhile, volunteered so she could “give back to the community.”

“Not through money, but through time, effort and skills. Di ba kasi maraming klase ng giving back to the community or volunteering? For me, I wanted to give my time and effort,” she said.

Guillen’s colleague in the ISG, Joseph Manalang, said volunteering for the #SeniorDigizen campaign was an opportunity to support seniors given their vulnerability to fraudsters.

“Of course, para hindi sila maloko ng mga scammer. Kasi ‘yun ang mga challenges nga mga titos, titas, and seniors natin eh. ‘Yung tita ko ngang isa, muntik na eh. So every time na may matatanggap siya [na scam text] sabi ko pumunta sa’kin so I can verify. So ‘yun dapat ang i-extend natin to others so that they can understand, di ba? Sila ‘yung pinaka-vulnerable eh, senior citizens natin. Kaya opportunity ito,” Manalang said.

Pinky Salvanera, a developer at Globe’s Frontstage Engineering and Enterprise Intergration, said she wanted to see for herself the challenges that seniors encounter in using apps, including GlobeOne, which she helped develop.

“Gusto ko makita firsthand ano nagiging challenges nila sa app. Tapos ‘pag hingan kami ng suggestions, feeling ko makaka-contribute ako dahil narinig ko ‘yung side ng consumer,” she said.

Meanwhile, Joycelyn Mendoza from Globe’s Customer Experience Management Team said that through volunteering, she learned the importance of building trust with customers.

“I joined the volunteer program with the intention of learning how to effectively introduce digital literacy to individuals who may not be technologically savvy, particularly our senior citizens. Participating in this event allowed me to directly assist our customers, enabling me to gain insights into their struggles and perspectives. This knowledge can help us become better in advocating improvements and crafting customer education initiatives tailored to their needs,” said Mendoza.

Volunteers were crucial in the #SeniorDigizen learning session as seniors needed hands-on support during the tutorials.

“We are grateful to our volunteers who gave their time and energy to help our seniors during the #SeniorDigizen Learning Session. They put customer centricity to action by providing immediate support to participants who had questions and clarifications during the session,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer.

The #SeniorDigizen campaign aims to ensure that Filipino seniors are not left behind in the digitalization journey. By improving their digital skills, Globe aims to help them overcome apprehensions and misconceptions about digital technology, and protect them from fraud and other risks that lurk online.

To learn more about Globe’s initiatives for digital inclusion, please visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.

Globe volunteer Janette Patricia Guillen (standing) assists senior participants at Globe’s “Teach Me How to Digi” Learning Session, January 25, 2024.

Globe volunteer Joycelyn Mendoza (middle) helps senior participants at Globe’s recent “Teach Me How to Digi” Learning Session.