Switching from In-person to Online

Dhruvi M., an Amador Valley High School volunteer, shares how her chapter is bonding with seniors over Zoom!

Switching online has brought some unique aspects to our club. One thing we do online but not in person is play games with the seniors. Generally, online we have two to three volunteers per senior (the breakout room technology is a little complicated for our seniors). This makes the connection a little less personal but we found ways to fix this. Since we have many people in a group we were able to play games like hangman, which made the connection more enjoyable. This doesn't mean we don't talk to the seniors however, we ask them about how their day is going, their life story (if they're willing to share it), and other things on their minds. The most obvious disadvantage to being online, however, is that we can't paint the seniors' nails, and develop a personal connection (rather we act as a fun company, which also serves GlamourGals purpose!). Despite the disadvantages, everything serves a purpose. We are very strict on keeping ourselves and our seniors safe, and so if that requires us interacting with them online we are okay with that and more than happy to do so.