The 21-year-old received “thought-provoking” questions after teaching crypto to old people

by · August 10, 2022

When assisted living facility The Preston of the Park Cities approached Owen Robertson to teach a course on crypto, NFTs and the Metaverse for their residents, the 21-year-old didn’t expect how quickly they would take up the complex. subjects.

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Quai Networks chief marketing officer, board member of Mccomb’s blockchain initiative and visiting lecturer at the University of Texas said he was more than eager to help when he was first approached to put together a class.

“A senior community has almost no exposure to the crypto ecosystem unless their grandchildren tell them about it.”

The 21-year-old found that throughout the lecture the residents were mostly quiet as they learned about an industry that even the experts have trouble keeping up with, but in the end he was impressed by how quickly some of the participants picked up on the complex. subjects.

“I got some thought-provoking questions at the end from the residents who wanted to learn more about the technology, which was fantastic to see.”

Preston of the Park Cities offers a wide variety of activities through its Watermark University program, from knitting, music therapy; traditional training, and fitness for gardening, yoga, Tai Chi and meditation.

However, the idea of ​​a talk on crypto, NFTs and the metaverse is a relatively new addition to their lineup.

Debra Dickerson, director of community life at The Preston at Park Cities told Cointelegraph that one of the main goals was to help residents improve their overall digital security.

“In the current news cycle, we often see stories about these topics, but even I have a hard time really understanding what each of these entities are.”

“We wanted to bring in an expert to provide a basic understanding of these concepts, while making them aware of the dangers technology can bring, how to identify internet scams looking to take advantage of seniors, and how to improve the overall digital security.”

Mr Robertson said he wanted to undertake the course as he knew pensioners are often “extremely vulnerable to fraud”.

“So I wanted to make sure that before I talked about the positives in the later sessions, I covered all the negatives, such as the many hacks and exploits that have happened over the years,” Robertson explained.

“After hearing the lecture and my recommendations, the residents concluded that the risks outweigh the potential benefits, which was the point of the class,” he added.

The Twitter response is divided

Despite Robertson’s good intentions, the reaction on Twitter was somewhat polarised, with some airing concerns that he may have defrauded pensioners, while others who were there were won over.

Regardless of what the crypto community has said about the course, residents seem eager to learn more, says Robertson.

“The residents seem very interested and look forward to participating in the next two classes that will take place this summer,” Robertson said, adding that he has already been asked to teach two more classes, delving into more specific topics like the history of Bitcoin, NFT and the Metaverse.

“My hope is that over time, education about the original values ​​upon which Bitcoin and Quai were founded will help deepen the public’s understanding of the technology and make it more accessible.”

As a bonus, participants will even walk away with their own NFT of the selfie taken in the first lesson.

Pictured: Owen Robertson’s ‘selfie’ which will soon become an NFT