When assisted nursing home The Preston of the Park Cities contacted Owen Robertson to teach a course on cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the Metaverse for its residentsthe 21-year-old did not expect how quickly they would grasp the complex themes.
Speaking to Cointelegraph, Quai Network marketing associate, Mccombs blockchain initiative board member and visiting professor at the University of Texas said that was more than willing to help when he was approached to organize a class:
“A community of seniors has almost no exposure to the cryptocurrency ecosystem unless their grandchildren tell them about it.”
The 21-year-old found that, Throughout the conference, residents were mostly quiet as they learned about an industry that even experts have a hard time keeping up with, but in the end, he was impressed with how quickly some attendees took in the complex topics.:
“In the end I got some thought provoking questions from residents who wanted to learn more about the technology, which was amazing to see.”
The Preston of the Park Cities offers a wide variety of activities through its Watermark University programfrom knitting, music therapy, traditional exercise and fitness to gardening, yoga, Tai Chi and meditation.
Nevertheless, the idea of a conference on cryptocurrencies, NFTs and the Metaverse is a relatively new addition to their program.
Debra Dickerson, Director of Community Living 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 is”:
“We wanted to bring in an expert to provide them with a basic understanding of these concepts while also making them aware of the dangers that technology can bring, how to identify Internet scams that seek to take advantage of the elderly, and how to improve digital security in general.”
Robertson said he wanted to teach the course because he knew older people are often “extremely vulnerable to scams.”
“So I wanted to make sure that, Before I talk about the positives in later sessions, I’ll cover all the negatives, like the many hacks and exploits that have happened over the years,” Robertson explained..
“After listening to the lecture and my recommendations, residents concluded that the risk outweighs the potential gain, which was the goal of the class,” he added..
There was a split response on Twitter
Despite Robertson’s good intentions, The reaction on Twitter was somewhat polarized, with some expressing concern that he might be scamming the elderly, while others, who were there, were convinced to invest..
I was skeptical of the class but was impressed with the advice he gave. Don’t scammer vibes. To sum up, he said he wouldn’t recommend they invest in crypto bc it needs 5-10 years for “the dust to settle.” But if they really want to, he’d only recommend Bitcoin, nothing else.
— Natalie Walters (@NatalieReporter) July 30, 2022
I was skeptical about this asset class, but was impressed by the advice he gave. No hustler vibes. To summarize, she said that she would not recommend them to invest in cryptocurrencies because it takes 5-10 years for “the dust to settle”. But if you really want to, I would only recommend bitcoin, nothing else
Regardless of what the cryptocurrency community has said about the course, residents seem eager to learn more, says Robertson.
“Residents seem very interested and want to participate in the next two classes taking place this summer,” Robertson said.adding that he has already been asked to teach two more classes, delving into more specific topics such as the history of Bitcoin (BTC), NFTs, and the Metaverse:
“My hope is that, over time, education about the original values on which bitcoin and Quai were founded will help deepen the public’s understanding of the technology and make it more accessible.”
As a bonus, attendees will even be able to take their own NFT of the selfie taken in the first lesson.
Clarification: The information and/or opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views or editorial line of Cointelegraph. The information set forth herein should not be taken as financial advice or investment recommendation. All investment and commercial movement involve risks and it is the responsibility of each person to do their due research before making an investment decision.
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