Meet the Licensing Partner: Rebecca Jinnette

Lifestyle

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Senior Planet is proud to partner with organizations across the nation to allow local trainers to deliver Senior Planet’s curriculum to older adults in their area. This is all made possible through the Senior Planet Licensing Program, which works with 450+ community sites in 35 states to help older adults access technology and use it to enhance their lives.

We spoke with one of our newest community partners, Rebecca Jinnette, in North Carolina about how the program is impacting her rural Bertie County community after only a few months. Rebecca currently serves as a Digital Skills Agent for the NC Digital Futures Program at NC Cooperative Extension. She also runs an antique and vintage e-commerce shop in addition to being a professional glass blower, creating colorful works like the “Cardinals” pendants at left.

To learn more about the Senior Planet Licensing Program and how you can bring free, in-person tech classes for older adults to your community, click here!

You joined the Licensing Program in October 2024. How is it going so far?

Becoming licensed by Senior Planet has truly been one of the highlights of my year! The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Since receiving my license, three neighboring county extension offices have reached out to collaborate with me—this is what it’s all about! Pooling our resources to expand our impact and shine even brighter together.

How has your community been impacted since joining?

The class that really got a big response was Tech Tips for Disaster Preparedness. I taught it right after hurricane Helene had impacted the Western North Carolina region. We were especially sensitive to what was going on out west because so many of us have lost our homes to floods or helped others who lost their homes. The community really comes together during those times, and everybody had their own stories they wanted to share.

Would you recommend that other local organizations serving older adults join the Senior Planet Licensing program?

Yes! On a personal level, I feel like I got a wonderful introduction to older adult education. For instance, it’s important to me to be inclusive, and until taking the course I hadn’t even realized that some of the language that I’d been using my entire life was problematic. So, it helped me polish that aspect of my communication and the way that I approach teaching older adults.

“…Senior Planet’s curriculum is so rich and engaging!”

I would also recommend it because Senior Planet’s curriculum is so rich and engaging. The topics are really interesting to people! Driving community engagement is so difficult here and probably in a lot of other places. So, when you have an exciting fun topics, it keeps people coming back.

What does aging with attitude mean to you?

I think it’s embracing the process of aging with empowerment, positivity, and confidence. It’s also about refusing to let society define your limits. I am reminded of that poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. You were a legend your whole life! You’re not going to just hush up and sit in the corner.