LOCAL HELP · ELLIOT LAKE

The digital world should feel useful—not intimidating.

Patient, plain-language help for older adults, beginners, families and anyone who wants to use the internet, social media and AI with more confidence and less risk.

Find a help sheet Learn with a real person

One-on-one or small groups
Beginner and senior friendly
Printable take-home notes
No jargon or pressure

YOUR CONFIDENCE PLAN01 / 04

Learn the basicsKnow what you are looking at.

Protect yourselfPause, verify and stay private.

Connect safelyUse social media on your terms.

Use AI thoughtfullyGet help without giving up judgment.

You do not have to learn everything at once.

URGENT HELP

Think you might be dealing with a scam?

Do not feel embarrassed. Scams are designed by professionals to create fear, urgency and confusion.

STOPDo not send money, buy gift cards, share a code or install anything.
HANG UPEnd the call or message. A legitimate organization will let you verify independently.
VERIFYCall the person, bank or agency using a number you already trust—not one from the message.
GET HELPTell someone you trust. If money or information was shared, contact your bank immediately.
REPORTKeep screenshots and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Report cybercrime or fraud ↗

CHOOSE A STARTING POINT

Help that meets people where they are.

There is no “too late,” no silly question and no expectation that everybody learns the same way. Pick the path that sounds most like you.

STEP-BY-STEP DIGITAL LESSON LIBRARY

Learn the screen. Practise the task. Keep the guide.

Start with a beginner lesson and progress at your pace. Core guides include genuine official app screenshots, safe download links, exact actions, checkpoints, practice tasks and troubleshooting—and every lesson can be printed or saved as a PDF.

0 help sheets available

FOR FAMILIES, FRIENDS & CAREGIVERS

Protection should preserve independence.

The goal is not to frighten someone away from technology or take control of their accounts. It is to create a calm plan they understand and can use when something feels wrong.

A good family plan includes:

A trusted person to call before sending money A private family verification phrase Recovery contacts on important accounts A written list of official bank and service numbers Agreement that asking for help never brings blame

WHERE ARE WE WITH AI?

The next chapter is already here.

AI did not suddenly appear. Recommendation systems, navigation, spam filters and voice assistants have been around for years. What changed is that ordinary people can now ask AI to create, explain and increasingly carry out multi-step tasks.

BEFORE 2022AI worked quietly

Search ranking, photo sorting, fraud detection, recommendations, translation and voice assistants were already part of daily life.

2022–2024Generative AI became public

Millions of people gained tools that could draft text, explain topics, create images, summarize and help brainstorm.

2024–2026AI became multimodal

Modern tools can work across text, images, audio and video. This creates useful accessibility tools—and more convincing misinformation.

NOW & NEXTAI can begin taking action

Agentic systems can attempt multi-step tasks. The opportunity is larger, but so is the need for clear permission, privacy and human review.

THE HUMAN-IN-CHARGE RULE

Use AI to help you think, draft, organize and learn. Do not let it make important health, legal, financial or personal decisions for you. Never enter private information you would not post publicly, and always verify important answers.

ONE-ON-ONE & SMALL-GROUP HELP

Learn it with someone beside you.

Bring your own phone, tablet or laptop. We move at your pace, work on the tasks that matter to you, and create take-home notes based on what you learned.

Digital Foundations

Device basics, internet navigation, email, downloads, photos, video calls and common online forms.

BEST FOR: NEW BEGINNERS

Safety Checkup

Account recovery, privacy settings, passphrases, multi-factor authentication, scam practice and a personal emergency plan.

BEST FOR: ANYONE ONLINE

Social Connection

Set up or review social accounts, control who sees what, recognize fake profiles and practice posting or messaging safely.

BEST FOR: FAMILIES & SENIORS

Practical AI

Use AI for learning, writing, planning, accessibility and creative work while protecting privacy and checking results.

BEST FOR: CURIOUS BEGINNERS

Family Safety Session

Create a respectful plan for emergency calls, financial requests, account recovery and AI voice-clone verification.

BEST FOR: TWO GENERATIONS

Task-Specific Help

Work through a government form, online booking, shipping label, marketplace listing or another real task together.

BEST FOR: GETTING IT DONE

NOT SURE WHICH SESSION FITS?Tell us what you want to do—not what you think you need to learn.

Ask for patient local help

CANADIAN SOURCES WE TRUST

Know where reliable help lives.

Interfaces and threats change. These official Canadian organizations maintain current guidance and reporting tools.

Canadian Anti-Fraud CentreReport cybercrime and fraud↗ Get Cyber SafePractical Canadian cyber safety↗ Privacy CommissionerPrivacy rights and protection↗ MediaSmartsMisinformation and media literacy↗ Responsible AI in CanadaCurrent AI guidance and risks↗

ShiftHeads Media provides education and general guidance, not emergency, legal, medical, financial or law-enforcement services. When money, identity theft, threats or immediate danger are involved, contact the appropriate institution or emergency service directly.