Today we’d like to introduce you to Technanagy.
Hi Technanagy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Technanagy originally started as two separate groups, Tech Check and Tech for Seniors. Tech Check was a project between four families with members of all ages, and Tech for Seniors was started by two students. We both noticed that senior citizens struggled to use modern technology, and that problem was often overlooked. Tech Check and Tech for Seniors found each other by a matter of chance and chose to join forces in order to create Technanagy. Both of our groups came to realize that our underlying purpose for starting each organization was strikingly similar. We all had grandparents of our own who we helped with technology problems and questions, but we also understood that not every senior has that privilege of someone who they can easily reach out to for help. Therefore, Technanagy started with the vision of helping ALL seniors find the joy in technology.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Shortly after Technanagy began, COVID caused all in-person activities to shut down. Our main form of service had always been going in-person to different senior centers/community centers and presenting tutorials/answering questions. In order to navigate a new world with COVID, Technanagy switched all its operations to an online format partnering with Michigan Indian Community Service Group, MAI Family Services, SLPS Dallas/Fort Worth, and SLPS Arkansas. Maintaining our efficiency while switching to an online format was a major issue that we had to navigate. Many seniors had trouble describing the issues happening with their devices and because we could not see their screens in this new arrangement, and similarly we had difficulty describing the steps to different issues without being able to show these seniors what we were doing face-to-face. Over time, we started to learn the right kind of questions to ask that would help us identify what these seniors were asking. We also started shifting to a presentation format where we would present tutorials on various topics (Ex. Medical ID, Messages, Whatsapp) via slideshows that included clearly described steps and screenshots. Now, even though we are out of the COVID lockdown, we still regularly make these presentations and upload them to our website for seniors who are unable to visit our sessions or want help between sessions.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes us happiest is hearing from the seniors we’ve helped, whether they come up to us in-person or send us a message saying thank you. Our goal has always been to help as many seniors as possible find the joy in technology. So when someone tells us we made even a small difference, it means everything to us.
These moments take us right back to our mission and our “why”, which started with our own grandparents. We’ve seen our grandparents get frustrated and struggle with technology, so we started Technanagy to help other seniors who are dealing with the same problem. Therefore, every time we hear from someone that we’ve made their day easier, it reminds us why we started this in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.technanagy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/technanagy/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/p/Technanagy-Technanagy-61572258894509/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@technanagy8259?si=x7E4bGH44xjj8Pub
