Meet Yu Ju who is loving learning all about her new country while volunteering to help older people become more tech savvy. 

Yu Ju, who moved from Taiwan to Melbourne, has been volunteering at the Uniting AgeWell Hawthorn Community teaching customers how to operate computers and mobile phones. 

“I really love chatting to older people, their stories are so interesting,” she says.  “It also helps me to improve my English!” 

Yu’s husband is still in Taiwan and will join them in a few years. In the meantime, the Glen Iris based Yu describes herself as “retired from work but an active volunteer.” 

Yu used to work in the corporate sector in Taiwan, teaching people how to put technical language into plain speak.  And she has some plain speaking of her own when it comes to Uniting AgeWell. 

“I must say that volunteering is wonderful.  I really feel that I get more than I give.  It has given me the opportunity to integrate with the community and get to know these wonderful older people, who are my parents’ age.” 

Yu loves teaching, especially witnessing that “Ah ha!” moment, when the customers realise they’ve got the hang of technology. 

She also enjoys helping out by going on the occasional bus outing with customers which affords her the opportunity to explore Melbourne. 

“Melbourne is very beautiful, the people are also wonderfully multicultural,” she says. 

But although Yu hails from what she calls the Windy City in Taiwan, nothing has prepared her for Melbourne’s weather.  “People told me there were four seasons here in a day – it’s more like 100 changes,” she laughs.  “It takes some getting used to.” 

There are many opportunities to volunteer at Uniting AgeWell.  To enrich the lives of older people – and your own – see https://www.unitingagewell.org/volunteer/