Creative Retirement Manitoba has offered computer courses to older adults since the mid 1980's. In 1992 there was a demand for "follow-up" to the courses and the Creative Retirement Computer Club (CRCC) was formed. With an average annual membership of 150 people, the monthly meetings of the main club are well attended with 75-100 people coming out, even in January!
Monthly meetings provide support and social interaction to senior computer users. Meetings consist of Questions and Answers and a presentation on hardware or software. The mid meeting coffee break is a flurry of intensive interaction between club members focused on computing.
There are several other computer clubs that meet outside of the main club, that were once called Special Interest Groups (SIGs). These SIGs are now just called other computer clubs as registration in the main Creative Retirement Computer Club is no longer mandatory. There once was a Hardware SIG that repaired computers and had a program where they would recycle donated computers to "seniors-at-risk", senior organizations or other non-profits who could not get a computer otherwise.
The Basic Computing Club is for those who wish to gain more basic knowledge about the Internet and the Windows Operating System. There are also Basic and Intermediate Digital Photography Clubs, Basic and Intermediate Photoshop Clubs; and a Digital Video Club. All the other clubs provide specific education in the special interest clubs. This special interest has a trickle down effect through the seniors families and organizations they volunteer for as well as direct benefit to the seniors themselves.
Creative Retirement Manitoba is essential to tie all this activity together, it provides the structure, learning and sharing that is needed to help older adults learn more about or get introduced to computer technology and the benefits it provides.
All participants of the CRCC must have a membership in CRM and then pay a $45 annual fee for the 10 main meetings a year (no meeting in July and August). The other Computer Clubs are a separate registration.
