AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
NewFlex Youth Programs (2025) Print
2025 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Digital Connections
└ Expanding High-Speed Internet
└ Expanding High-Speed Internet
NewFlex Youth Programs addressed digital skill gaps that left many older adults struggling to use smartphones and tablets for everyday tasks, limiting communication and access to essential services. The project delivered hands-on, one-on-one technology support through intergenerational workshops. Youth interns and students met older adults in familiar community spaces and provided personalized help with messaging, email, apps and device navigation. As the program evolved, structured scheduling and hybrid options expanded access while reinforcing skills already learned. The approach built trust and normalized asking for help, leading to repeat participation and older adults proactively requesting sessions. One participant, a board member age 50 and over, said individualized instruction finally helped her master tasks she had struggled with for years and motivated her to continue learning after receiving a session summary and certificate.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
Description: This project will help 210 older adult residents in age-restricted apartments sign up for affordable internet service and provide basic computer skills training.
Whitesburg, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
Description: Shaping Our Appalachian Region confronted limited broadband and skills that kept older adults from telehealth, secure online accounts and family connections. The team launched a mobile laptop lab with hands-on classes in AI, digital safety and basic computer skills, paired with in-home satellite internet for 23 older adults. A Digital Navigator provided one-on-one help, and participants completed digital literacy coursework with certifications. One resident said reliable access felt like having a doctor "in your living room," underscoring reduced barriers to care. The project created repeatable curricula and a scalable model for ongoing digital inclusion.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
Description: Many older adults lacked the digital access and skills needed to receive alerts, reach family and neighbors and find reliable information during storms and other emergencies. That gap increased risk and left some residents less connected to local readiness efforts. Beanstalk addressed the problem by providing tablets and leading hands-on trainings tied to real emergency tasks. Participants learned to set up contacts, enable security features and use preparedness apps for weather alerts and local hazard updates. They practiced sending messages and checking alerts so those steps felt routine. The effort built confidence and created peer support: several attendees began helping others during sessions. One participant said, "I finally feel like Im catching up with the world again... Now I dont feel as isolated. I feel safer." The project expanded a base of tech-ready volunteers who can help neighbors stay informed and communicate when conditions change.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Bronx, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To highlight the importance of green spaces, Friends of Mosholu Parkland cleaned up a neglected area of the parkland. The area lies along the Mosholu Parkway, a landscaped highway connecting two parks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the gardens became a respite for community looking for a safe, outdoor gathering space. Volunteers expanded an azalea garden and revived the Jerome Garden Plaza. In addition, the organization worked with a local artist to design and install banners celebrating the Parkland. The banners played off the metaphor of an aquarium, which represented residents confined within their apartments during the COVID-19 pandemic, separated from the parkland below like fish behind a glass barrier. Project organizers say these initial improvements have since attracted additional investment in the Mosholu Parkland.
New York, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Reconnect Communities
Description: Busy roadways, extreme heat and aging infrastructure have made everyday walking difficult for many older adults, limiting access to transit, green space and daily errands. Transportation Alternatives addressed this by bringing residents directly into neighborhood walk audits that focused on real conditions older adults face, from uneven sidewalks and unsafe crossings to lack of shade and seating. Participants documented barriers and assets using a structured worksheet that made it easier to share concerns without relying on technology or direct advocacy. The walks turned lived experience into usable evidence that is now informing street planning and safety discussions. In one neighborhood, extreme heat during the walk underscored the urgency of climate-resilient pedestrian design. By centering older adults voices, the project strengthened civic confidence and created a clear path for place-specific improvements that support safer walking for people of all ages.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP New York State Office
750 Third Avenue
Floor 31
New York, NY 10017
United States