In the Grand Est, a traveling bus against electronicism

Nine shots ring at the bell tower, Cour de la Dîme, in Mutzig (Bas-Rhin). The calm of the small Alsatian town betrays the winter holiday period. However, on the square, a group of six seniors seems to be returning to school. In a row, everyone has a bag containing a notebook and pens. They participate in the “Connect and you” program, supported by the Grand Est region with the training company Pedagome, and supported by a series of private actors. A bus travels through the region to train residents who wish to do so in IT. Inside, several desks equipped with computers and a screen on which the trainer broadcasts his nine-hour course, spread over three days.

From the background, Gwendaline Magny observes the scene, delighted by the crowd. Coordinator of prevention action for those over 60, this social worker from Mutzig town hall carries out monitoring work with people in difficulty with digital tools. “There is a real generational divide,” she notes. I would not speak of suffering, but of great fragility. They are afraid of the tool. » Tirelessly, she tries to convince the most helpless to train and use it. To the most refractory, she sends her newsletters in paper format.

Hang up the wagons

A dedicated word designates the fact of not mastering electronic resources: ilelectronism. In 2021, INSEE estimated it at 61.9% among those aged 75 or over. Still according to INSEE, the share of users of digital public services has exploded, going from 30% in 2005 to nearly 80% in 2023. Tax declaration, basic administrative acts, management of bank accounts, etc.: dematerialization has turned everything upside down in twenty years. Many seniors did not see this train go by. And now find themselves in tow, generating fear and dependence.

“We are penalized,” explains Marie-Anne Reisser, almost 84 years old. I have no idea, it’s not from my generation. » At his side, Kyynh Aing has a smile and drives mechanics: in 1984, this former accountant benefited from training on antique Macintosh computers. “I know how to send emails,” he trumpets, laughing at the level of his wife, Sychan. “Don’t laugh, you too started from nothing one day,” she retorts. Above all, what Kyynh doesn’t say is that he is dependent on his children to accomplish certain tasks – digital technology also has its share of helpers. “They grew up and left,” says Sychan. We need to become independent again. They explain things to me, but three months later, I forget and I get argued. »

Know how to thwart scams

Once the students have settled in, the class begins. Étienne Muller, the trainer of the day, covers the fundamental basics: start a computer, hold your mouse, right click, left click. Patiently, he accompanies his class for the day. Not easy, as the differences in level are great between those who have already practiced and those for whom everything is new. The students are studious, and write down comments quickly. Marie-Anne struggles to move her mouse and mixes up her paintbrushes, while her neighbor tells her not to get angry. “I really should have started this sooner. But I am determined and I will not give up,” she proclaims.

Others, alongside him, are more at ease, and are impatiently waiting to learn how to browse the Web… in complete security. The subject is significant: more than one in two French people with an elderly loved one say that they have already been the victim of a cyberattack, such as an online scam or financial fraud, according to a study by the antivirus company Avast. “It’s a completely vulnerable generation,” adds Étienne Muller, who says he prevented an elderly man from making a questionable six-figure investment a few weeks earlier. They click everywhere, whereas on the Internet you shouldn’t trust anyone. » The scam is a specter that everyone on the bus wants to exorcise from Étienne.

With this program, the Grand Est region intends to ultimately reconnect more than 1,600 people. Seniors, especially, but also younger people, returning to work, to help them write CVs or cover letters. At the end of the first session, the brains are smoking, but Marie-Anne is smiling. His goal? Buy a tablet and show her children that she now knows how to use it.