GRÜN IT Club as best practice at the “First Mover NRW” conference

On March 19, 2025, leading experts and companies discussed the increasing importance of digital participation for the older generation in Germany at the conference “First Mover NRW: Economic Growth and Taking on Social Responsibility – Digital Participation 60+” at the Industry Club Düsseldorf.

As part of the event, Dr. Oliver Grün, CEO of GRÜN IT Group GmbH, the Aachen GREEN IT Club as a best-practice example – an initiative aimed at preparing seniors for the digital future. "Only about half of the more than 25 million people in Germany over the age of 60 are online – yet this target group is growing rapidly. This is precisely where enormous potential lies for the economy, government, and society," emphasized Oliver Grün during his presentation on the panel. "With the GRÜN IT Club, we are investing specifically in digital participation. Our offerings include a personal hotline, training courses, club meetings, and a home and repair service for PCs, tablets, and smartphones – and all this with a six-figure investment volume. As a market-oriented company, we naturally aim to break even in the medium term. But we are convinced: digitalization for seniors is worthwhile – also economically. If older people use digital systems instead of paper and the like, hundreds of millions of euros can be saved."

Since the GRÜN IT Club was founded in Aachen, over 2.000 seniors have already received training. Around 200 members currently regularly use the GRÜN IT Club's diverse offerings. The initiative breaks down barriers to contact, builds trust in digital technologies, and strengthens the digital sovereignty of the older generation. The GRÜN IT Group thus impressively demonstrates how companies can assume social responsibility and advance digital inclusion. "We must promote the digital participation of older people much more strongly – it is an investment that pays off at all levels," adds Markus Hahmann von der Linnepe, head of the GRÜN IT Club.

The event was organized by the educational initiative BG3000 Service GmbH in cooperation with the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia . Since 2014, BG3000 has trained over 50.000 people in schools, companies, and associations in the safe use of digital applications.