Seniors For Education is a common project of adult education institutions, who deliver lifelong learning to people at all ages. Challenges which people over 65 years old are facing in their national and local environment have led partners to propose the project addressing social and civic disengagement of seniors. The project idea unites the power of raising awareness campaigns and trainings to contribute to better use of potential of seniors in favour of the local community. On the other hand this idea is integrated in the processes of lifelong learning and continuous personal development of the elderly, with the support of various organizations and institutions.
The project address main problems of seniors across partner countries, i.e.: low participation in lifelong learning, still undervalued life and professional experience of seniors,
misconceptions which create negative image of the old age, isolation and marginalization of seniors, outdated basic social and ICT skills, etc.
The project envisages development of training programs for seniors and launching the Senior Friendly School campaign which altogether forms a model of cooperation of seniors/senior organizations and schools in order to improve social and civic engagement of seniors in local community and raise awareness of the old age.
Project aim is to create by December 2022 innovative opportunities for social activation and civic engagement of the seniors, through offering quality social skills development opportunities in the framework of training programs, preparing the seniors for the role of ambassadors of the established Senior-Friendly School/University campaign and trainers/facilitators or workshops for school kids.
The following specific goals have been defined:
1. Develop basic trainers competences among 60 seniors to support them in establishing long lasting intergenerational connections and in building understanding of the old age in local
communities, by delivery of lectures and workshops for school kids, based on on storytelling, using seniors’ life experience and already possessed knowledge in various areas.
2. Building positive intergenerational relations between the elderly and youth by developing and implementation with minimum 60 schools the social campaign Senior-Friendly School,
engaging seniors in collaboration with schools in the role of lecturer/workshop facilitator or ambassadors of the campaign.
3. Shaping social competences among 60 seniors, including communication, active listening, empathy, presentation and basic marketing skills, to promote and expand the Senior-
Friendly school campaign.
4. Shaping seniors’ ICT skills through trainings in use of ICT tools for lectures/workshops delivery.
5. Expanding the offer of seniors organizations by providing them with new training and activating opportunities for their participants.
6. Shaping positive image of seniors and the old age and building potential of the seniors as active participants of social, economic and public life of the society.
7. Improvement 12 adult trainers skills in training delivery for the seniors, organization and implementation of awareness raising campaigns and storytelling.
8. Increase access of the seniors to knowledge related to leading trainings for kids, storytelling and Senior-Friendly school campaign through virtual handbook (IO3). Innovation reflects in the model of cooperation between schools and seniors in the form of raising awareness campaign Senior Friendly School, applying innovative Story Seekers method, work-based learning and applying ICT in seniors education.
The following target groups will be involved:
1. Project partners staff – 12 persons
2. seniors – 120
4. schools – 60 institutions
5. seniors/representatives of adult education institutions participating in multiplier events, key actors, policy makers, educational authorities etc. – 120
The following outputs are planned to be developed:
IO1. Train the trainer course for seniors-trainers shaping basic trainers skills, social skills and ICT skills
IO2. Model of Senior Friendly School and training course for seniors-ambassadors of the campaign
IO3 Virtual handbook as a follow up educational material for seniors
Partners will organize jst event to prepare themselves for pilot implementation of products. They also intend to organize 2 dissemination workshops for schools and one for senior
organizations to extend the impact of the SFS Campaign.
The partnership is a mix of public and private adult education institutions of different cultural background which produce the European added value of intercultural cooperation. The project will have direct impact on seniors an schools in local community, enabling increased engagement of the seniors in social an civic life of the society. It will also influence partner organisations other actors of adult learning sector.
The project has strong potential of transferability to other countries, by using the model of Senior-Friendly School campaign.
The partners in this project are:
Stowarzyszenie MANKO from POLAND (coordinators),
Ankara Elmadag Halk Egitim Merkezi Mudurlugu from TURKEY,
CENTER ZA IZOBRAZEVANJE IN KULTURO TREBNJE JAVNI ZAVOD from SLOVENIA, and
I & F Education from IRELAND.
Find out more: www.seniorsforeducation.eu