Internet Rangers do a fantastic job in helping older people use the internet. Here are some of their stories.  Also visit and read more about previous BT Internet Ranger and BT Internet Ranger Schools award winners.

Jenny Pidgley (14),  “I’m really pleased I am able to pass on my IT skills to older people because it’s a way of updating people’s lives so they don’t feel stuck in the past. The worst bit for them is the fear of new technology – but once they get past that they realise it’s so easy to use.”

Watch Jenny in action 

Johnny Soutar (15) from Lionel, Isle of Lewis is the national winner of 2008 BT Internet Ranger of the Year Awards. He impressed the judges by not only helping his mum to set up and run the website for the family business when they relocated to the Hebridean isle, but he also went on to help his local community, teaching adults and young people and building a community website.

Johnny receives his prize from Angus McNeil MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar and BT's Mike Hughes at the top of the BT Tower in London.

 

Joseph Devries from Port Talbot, South Wales won the 2007 BT Internet Ranger of the Year award for helping to organise and host weekly 'silver surfer' lessons in his school's IT suite. One of his students, Mary Scott said “Learning about the internet from Joseph has been a delightful process and not nearly as intimidating as I thought. He has a lot of patience and a great sense of humour.” 

15 year old Inderjit Mehroke from Middlesex was the winner of the 2006 BT Internet Ranger of the Year. Inderjit's mum Pardeep has a chronic illness which has left her housebound for many years, but her new found internet skills have opened up a whole new and exciting world for her.

Inderjit said: "I enjoyed teaching mum how to use the internet and I feel really pleased now when I see her using email to talk to her friends, and how the internet makes her happy. I always tried to make learning fun and use language that mum would understand. It was fun being the teacher for once!"

Watch an interview with Inderjit

 
13 year old Michael Condlyffe from Uphampton Ombersley in Droitwich, Worcestershire won a laptop in the 2006 BT Internet Ranger of the Year Awards. He impressed the judges by describing how he taught his granddad to use the internet to get in touch with old friends from the RAF that he hadn't spoken to since World War II!

Michael said "Learning to use the internet has transformed my Granddad's life. His whole world has become bigger. I had the best summer ever spending time with Granddad and teaching him how to use the internet and I realised that it's not always adults that know everything, there are some things that young people know better than them!"

BT Internet Ranger Days

Over 100 Internet Rangers from North Lincolnshire played teacher in November 2006 when they took part in the biggest BT Internet Ranger day ever!  The pupils from seven local schools invited their family members into their classrooms for an internet lesson where the young people themselves were the teachers.

The schools that took part in the event were: Henderson Avenue Junior School; Berkley Junior School; Berkley Infant School; Crosby Primary; Scunthorpe Church of England School; Foxhills Technology College and High Ridge Specialist Sports College. 

See the Internet Ranger Days for how to run your own BT Internet Ranger Day