PROJECT END

2 years working on the vision of integrating seniors by the means of intergenerational learning in course of the Erasmus+ project AGE:WISE come to an end…

It was two years filled with:
*hard work to achieve the project’s main objectives to equip seniors with skills to recognise their valuable competencies and knowledge and skills that enable them to slip into the role of a teacher/trainer

BUT ALSO:
*great cooperation with very committed partners from Germany, Italy, Poland and Portugal
*new insights and experiences on the topic of intergenerational learning
*great opportunities to spread the projects main vision and the target group involved

The project team can look back to two successful project years in which a lot has been achieved. The project results have been evaluated for further use and discussion about further development opportunities have been discussed.

THANK you to all project partners for the good cooperation!

THIRD AND FINAL PROJECT MEETING AT FUNDACJA AUTOKREACJA IN…

Time flies!

It’ hard to believe, but within our project AGE:WISE we already had our last meeting with our great partners in the beautiful city of Warsaw from the from the 4th to the 5thof Juliy 2022. Even though the project is not quite over yet, we have used this meeting to evaluate our achievements so far – and there are many of which we are already very proud of. Up to now, we have developed great project results, such as the research report, the self-reflection tool for seniors to become aware of their own competences or the inspirational videos with seniors. We used the time in the meeting to discuss intensively about the remaining outcomes and tasks which are the didactic guideline, the curriculum and the blended learning setting as well as the training material. And finally, we defined the next steps in the project together.

So, stay curious, we will keep you informed about the last steps of AGE:WISE! 😊

RESEARCH REPORT & MARKETING GUIDELINE FOR ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTES

AGE:WISE team is happy to present you the first result of our project: “RESEARCH REPORT & MARKETING GUIDELINE FOR ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTES”.

Currently, older adults often do not perform a contributing role in Intergenerational learning (IGL) experiences. In most IGL programmes, young people serve or teach older adults. When older adults acquire an active and contributing role through interactions with young people, they increase their sense of meaning.

To achieve this goal and to change the usual roles in IGL, we explored the specific learning needs of older generations, and, from the perspective of educators, the competences and skills elderly people must possess when they are in a teaching role.

The data of the report is based on:

• formal research and academic discussion concerning the intergenerational learning (IGL) approach
• analysis of best practices in the project’s partner countries
• interviews conducted with 20 Adult and Senior Educators in five countries
• the self-reflection procedure of the partners in IGL settings

As a result of the interviews and the good practices analysed, it emerged that the field of IGL is still underdeveloped, experiences are not numerous, and the role of the elderly is still underestimated. Intergenerational activities are mostly connected to digital and language skills development, painting courses, reading clubs, cognitive stimulation, social and cultural competences, after-school activities, tutoring, art workshops and courses on popular culture.

A possible profile for the IGL Senior Educator has been proposed in the report, with the competences that seniors should acquire in order to become IGL educators. The challenges and needs of the elderly during the learning process have also been explored.

This report has been supported by theory and research suggesting that advice-giving and sharing of wisdom can be beneficial for older people. By sharing advice, older adults acquire an active and contributing role during interactions with young people, which in turn helps increase generativity and a sense of meaning.

Teaching younger people offers an opportunity for seniors to re-evaluate their past as something useful and valuable.

The data in the report will serve as a base for the educational resources that will be developed in further phases of the project “AGE:WISE”: DIDACTIC GUIDELINE for adult education institutions and LEARNING MATERIAL for a seniors “training skills” course.

You can download the full version of the report here in English, Italian, German, Portuguese or Polish.

Seniors in IGL: Success Stories

Within AGE:WISE we have been working on finding different ways for encouraging seniors to take on the role of educators and to get more involved in teaching younger generations. To achieve this, we have recorded video interviews seniors from Poland who are active in the field of IGL, asking them to share their personal stories, experiences, and perspectives. A football trainer, a flamenco teacher, and a senior running an intergenerational café told us about what motivates them and what they learn from their work with younger people – we hope their stories will inspire other seniors to use their knowledge and skills to get more involved in IGL activities.