training / learning materials | Best Practice Types | Ageing in the Digital Age

Adult Inclusive Design (AID)

Project under the Erasmus + Program entitled Adult Inclusive Design (AID) aims to develop tools that will allow organizations to teach active seniors how to volunteer to help other seniors. It has been observed that seniors are divided into two groups – those who have a high energy potential and would like to share their knowledge and experience, and those who feel lost in various life situations and wait for a helping hand. Often those in need of help do not keep up with the galloping development of the world and it is difficult for them to find a common language with younger people, so the project focuses on relations between seniors who certainly understand each other very well and can quickly find a common language. However, sometimes the mere willingness to help is not enough to effectively support another person, so the volunteers themselves will also need to expand their knowledge and develop certain skills.

The AID project will provide institutions working with seniors with tools to effectively support senior volunteers in expanding their competences. During the project, educators and trainers of four institutions prepared a guide for trainers containing not only information on the necessary content that a senior volunteer should know, but also scenarios of workshops shaping the volunteers‘ skills necessary for their effective work. Seniors in four countries assessed the effectiveness of work – through participation in workshops conducted according to the developed scenarios, and tested the acquired skills in practice as senior mentors for other seniors, emigrants or disabled persons.

Project results:

methodological manual “Volunteering as a source of better quality of life for seniors” available in the form of an e-book
application and other IT tools supporting people who want to become a volunteer or train such persons.

Implementers of the project: “Active XXI” Foundation, Castilla-La Mancha University (Spain), SYNTHESIS Center for Research and Education Ltd (Cyprus) and LUMSA University (Italy).

Project co-financed by the European Union.

Source: https://aktywni21.org.pl/pl/aid/

Access date: 29.03.2022

The project entitled „Seniors in action”

The objectives of the SENIORS IN ACTION project under the Erasmus + Program are:

inclusion of the students of the Jeleniogórska Academy of the Third Age in active lifelong learning.
strengthening the key competences of the students of the Jeleniogórska Academy of the Third Age (digital, social and learning competences).

As part of the project activities, two group adult learning mobilities will be organized during which seniors cooperating with the Foundation “Active XXI” will have one-week classes at universities of the third age in Milazzo (Sicily) and Cuence (Spain).

Participation in mobility activities will activate seniors in their activities and encourage them to be more active. The obtained results will motivate them to further work. They will also be an inspiration for other adults studying at the Academy of the Third Age. Preparing for departure: searching for information, preparing presentations, planning joint educational activities with partners from Italy and Spain and participation in mobility will strengthen their key competences such as digital, language, learning and social skills (empathy, communication, tolerance).

The project is implemented by the “Active XXI” Foundation.

Project co-financed by the European Union.

Source: https://aktywni21.org.pl/

Access date: 29.03.2022

Improving the digital skills of seniors

Through the project “Improving the digital skills of seniors“, MIRRI SR will help seniors to navigate new technologies, learn how to use them or improve their IT skills. The project, for which EUR 69.4 million has been allocated, includes not only face-to-face and e-learning training, but also the provision of data connectivity and the distribution of senior tablets or other devices (such as laptops and smartphones) to trained seniors who join the project and express interest in technical support.

Improving the digital skills of seniors is part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic, for which MIRRI SR has prepared the Digital Slovakia component to support cybersecurity, digital economy, eGovernment and digital skills.

The project is currently in the preparatory phase. The Ministry is negotiating with third age universities, primary and secondary schools, municipalities, as well as civic associations working with seniors. The Ministry of Informatization plans to launch the first phase of digital training for seniors in the spring of 2022. Several thousand seniors could be trained as early as next year.

The target group of this project is citizens belonging to disadvantaged groups:

Public administration employees over 55 years of age (the created environment will enable online testing and improvement of digital skills of public administration employees meeting the definition of disadvantaged population groups and at the same time will verify the possibility of later use also in the selection process and support for updating digital skills during the duration of the civil servant relationship, public employment contract),
Disabled and old-age pensioners who do not belong to the category of senior citizens (under 65 years of age, with an invalidity or old-age pension),
Seniors (population of post-working age, i.e. over 65 years of age),
Persons with disabilities.

Source: https://www.mirri.gov.sk/aktuality/digitalna-agenda/vicepremierka-remisova-seniorom-pomozeme-vstupit-do-digitalneho-sveta-vdaka-bezplatnym-skoleniam-aj-specialnym-tabletom/index.html

Access date: 04.11.2021

Colabor Active

The project “COLABOR-ACTIVE: Development of a training program for enhancing Active Ageing through Not-For-Profit Sharing Economy” is launched with the main objective of increasing the competences (attitudes, skills, knowledge) of Elder Persons and their Communities, about how to enhance active ageing through not-for-profit sharing economy through an innovative training program.

Results of the project are:

Co-created Methodological Guide with the direct participations of End Users.
Training Materials for creating and improving the critical competences.
Designed Experiential Training Activities for enhancing the practical and experiential training.
Development of an e-Training Platform.
Creation of 4 SHARING-ACTIVE UNITS.

Training is available on the link: https://platform.colabor-active.eu/

Source: https://colabor-active.eu/

Access date: 04.12.2020

60+ Virtual Culture

60+ Virtual Culture was an international initiative in which 4 partner organizations of similar background in informal education, including education of seniors, from Poland, France, Czech Republic and Italy have worked together to improve and optimize educational offer for elderly concerning their digital competences within the context of culture accessibility.

The process of optimization has been developed in two stages. First, each organization appointed one teaching tandem (young ICT educator and one experienced senior (50+) educator) who took part in 3 Joint Staff Trainings, during which based on exchanged practices and knowledge, an educational model for local senior centers or libraries had been developed. Therefore, an innovative offer of ICT courses for seniors aiming at encouraging older people to participate in culture resources and cultural events using new technologies (e.g. accessing e-books, audio-books, visiting virtual museums, buying tickets online, creating and uploading content etc. ) was created. Simultaneously so created teaching program was implemented, tested and adjusted during two cycles of ICT workshops for seniors in each country. The teaching tandems provided during the project a total of 198 hours of workshops for 105 seniors in four countries. Additionally, from among the participants of workshops 8 Digital Ambassadors were selected – people at the age of 60+ whose leadership and digital competences enabled us to include them into dissemination process and in some cases into the process of supporting the trainers in the teaching processes both during and after the termination of project activities.

Results:

Lesson plans of ICT Workshops for Older Adults:

online newspapers,
books on-line (e-book and audiobook),
music and films online,
going out- cultural event,
monuments of the world- visiting historical places abroad.

Tips for trainers. How to approach seniors during ICT trainings.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission under Erasmus+ Programme.

Source: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2016-1-PL01-KA204-026593

Access date: 14.10.2021

Lighthouse Keepers 2020 (Latarnicy2020.pl)

The “Latarnicy2020.pl” project is one of the largest initiatives for digital education of adults in the country.

The substantive foundations of the activities were developed as part of the “Lighthouse of Digital Poland” project implemented by the “Cities on the Internet” Association („Miasta w Internecie“ Association) together with the Ministry of Administration and Digitization in 2011-2015 under the slogan: Digital Poland of Equal Opportunities.

The project has been implemented in Poland in 12 voivodeships.

The main goal of the project is to acquire and increase the level of digital competences by nearly 30 thousand project participants – residents of voivodeships where the project activities are realised, and to increase the use of information and communication technologies.

The general objective will have been achieved through the implementation of a number of detailed activities, i.e .:

recruitment and training of a group of 250 professional digital educators (the so-called Lighthouse Keepers of Digital Poland) who will provide training support to project participants,
implementation of the “lighthouse method” – a model of adult education developed in the Digital Poland of Equal Opportunities project,
increase of the level of digital competences of important professional and social groups – officials, teachers, employees of local government institutions, councilors and village leaders, who will motivate adult residents to use Internet resources,
reduction of the scale of social and digital exclusion of persons with disabilities.

The project will have a significant impact on improving the operation of local government units by increasing work efficiency (improving employee competences) and increasing the ability to create and develop public e-services and to integrate persons with disabilities with persons without them thanks to creating opportunities for wider social interactions through the use of the Internet. It is assumed that as a result of the project implementation, the operation of local government units will be improved and the use of public e-services will be enhanced.

The website of the initiative https://latarnicy2020.pl/ features educational materials (reports, brochures, workshop materials and lesson plans) and films that have been developed in the Digital Poland of Equal Opportunities project. They can be useful in lighthouse work as a didactic aid or inspiration in developing scenarios for classes with seniors.

Project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, Operational Programme Digital Poland for 2014-2020.

Source: https://latarnicy2020.pl/

Access date: 12.03.2021

Slow Learning – Making Digital World Easy for Seniors

Learning & education can play a very important role in reducing age segregation, as it regulates imbalance between generations and opens up new opportunities for social inclusion to seniors. The training of seniors requires andragogically well-trained providers, who are familiar with the theory and practice of adult education. The main problem that IT educators are facing is that they don’t have the needed skills and competences to educate seniors in new technology. Educators of elderly, and specifically IT educators, need knowledge of seniors and contemporary image of old age in society. On one hand they are aware that older people are not all the same, that they are very different, that they are more different from each other than different members of the younger generations, but on the other hand they also know, they lack knowledge both in theory and practice on better working methods with this target group. Lot of teachers are more pedagogues (school system of teaching) than andragogists with merely basic knowledge on working methods for seniors. Main objectives of the project are:

Better understanding of senior expectations & needs in learning environments, focusing on IT
training;
Improved knowledge & use of pedagogical tools, new technology in educating seniors;
Exchange of good practice among partners;
Create the basic theoretical foundations for the implementation of education of IT to seniors;

Primary target groups of the project are adult educators, teachers, mentors, trainers, professionals in IT. Secondary target group are seniors who are impacted with an increased accessibility to nonformal IT learning activities, especially adapted to their needs & expectations.

Project offers compendium with best practices: https://slowlearning.eu/compendium-2/

Source: People’s University Ptuj

Access date: 01.03.2022

DIGITAL INCLUSION FOR SENIORS

Slovenian Third Age University (National Association for Education and Social Inclusion)

is currently a nation wide set network of 52 universities in 52 localities with about 21.000 students, more than 1.000 mentors and 1.000 volunteers.

Since 1984 when it was established it has been catering for the needs of older people in the field of informatics and new technologies. In 1986 mentors of Slovenian Third Age University developed a programme for low -literate employees complete beginners to learn both English and computer skills needed for the programme WordStar. It was accompanied by a film with mimes illustrating basic computer skills and was a breakthrough in ICT education. In Ljubljana there are currently more than 620 students enrolled in computer classes right now. There are programmes catering for students needs at different levels and developing overall computers skills.

Source: The Slovenian Universitxy of Third Age

Access date: 30.09.2021

Senior citizens‘ offices

The Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Seniorenbüros e.V. (BaS) is the network of around 450 senior citizens’ offices in Germany. Senior citizens’ offices promote the voluntary engagement of older people and advocate for a good quality of life.

People over 50 are fitter, more active and more numerous today than at any time before. BaS plays a constructive role in shaping demographic change and provides impulses for senior citizens’ work. It stands for a realistic image of old age that is based on the potential of older people.

BaS advises local authorities and independent organisations on the establishment and further development of senior citizens’ offices and represents their interests at federal and state level. It offers advice, further training and specialist conferences and initiates projects that are implemented at the local level.

Professional support is provided in the senior citizens’ offices, including exchange of experience and appropriate framework conditions for volunteers and paying attention to a good culture of appreciation.

Many senior citizens’ offices offer help in the form of consultation hours on the Internet, PC meetings or counselling services by older people for older people. They are also committed to the digital and social participation of (n)onliners.

Source: https://seniorenbueros.org/

Access date: 01.06.2022

Digital study guide for older people (ViLE e.V.)

Virtual and Real Learning and Competence Network for Older Adults was founded in December 2002 by senior citizens and staff of further education institutions from all over Germany.

The network offers introductory courses in the technical basics of virtual learning, virtual literature circles, its own online newspaper for adults interested in further education (www.lerncafe.de), project and seminar work, workshops and travel offers in the sense of research-based travel. The members work together virtually and in real life, also in regional groups.

The association’s latest project is the production of an information brochure on educational opportunities for older people at universities: The “Digital Study Guide for All”.

Source: https://vile-netzwerk.de

Access date: 01.06.2022