Bridge the Gap!

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Bridge the Gap!

Bridge the Gap! Enhancing the social and digital participation of older people

Client / Funding programme:
Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
KA204 STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS FOR ADULT EDUCATION Educational game: Building Inclusive Environments for All Generations n° 2020-1-DE02-KA204-007539:

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Start and end dates:

10/2020 – 09/2022

Website: bridgethegap-project.eu

AFEdemy role in the project:

AFEdemy will be responsible to lead the work package to develop training concepts and curriculum to train older adults in digital skills to promote and implement age-friendly environments in their community.

☐ Coordination
☒ Research
☒ Training
☒ Curriculum development
☒ e-Learning Platform
☒ Networking
☐ Policy recommendation
☐ Sustainability

Description (Background)

Digitisation and demographic changes are two major trends in Europe and beyond: The transformative power of digitisation is visible in almost every field of our society. It calls for new knowledge and skills to be able to fully participate in society. In a more structural perspective, we have to reduce the digital gap that divides certain groups (e.g. older people) from those with full access to the digital world. The worldwide Coronavirus crisis throws a light on the importance of ICT for staying in touch and participating in society.

An “ageing Europe” has profound implications, not only for individuals, but also for the entire system (e.g. finances, health care). We have to find creative and sustainable ways to enable older people to live autonomously and to shape environments in such ways to support independence and social inclusion.

Objectives

Our main objectives are

to train, empower and support older people to get active for their neighbourhoods, to bring forward their ideas for age-friendly environments and to master the digital tools they need to implement their ideas,
to develop meaningful, supportive and highly accessible learning formats and materials,
to raise awareness for the relevance of age-friendly environments and the political, social and digital participation of older citizens and inspire others (e.g. decision makers) to advocate these issues and
to contribute to new images of ageing.

AFE Related Topics

☒ Outdoor spaces and buildings
☒ Social participation
☒ Transport and mobility
☒ Social inclusion and non-discrimination
☒ Housing
☒ Civic engagement and employment
☒ Communication and information
☒ Community and health services

Process

The project started in November 2020 and will end in October 2022.

Target

Older adults who will be supported to re-shape their neighbourhoods with the use of digital tools as well as practitioners in adult education, (local) initiatives and organisations working with older adults.

Participants

In each partner country (Austria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands) a group of 12–20 (in total up to 100) older people is trained and empowered to implement their ideas (3–5 projects per country) with the help of digital tools. The low-threshold training settings also support the participation of older persons with little experience in formal trainings. These trainings are the test cases for our outputs. The learners actively contribute to these outputs, to the events – both at national/regional and EU level. Peer-to-peer elements, research, the events and a comprehensive dissemination strategy involve many more older persons and stakeholders of various kinds.

Partners

Project coordination

ISIS Institut für Soziale Infrastruktur gGmbH (Germany)

Project partners

queraum. kultur- und sozialforschung | Giedenbacher Stadler-Vida OG (Austria)
LUNARIA ASSOCIAZIONE DI PROMOZIONE SOCIALE E IMPRESA SOCIALE (Italy)
AFEdemy, Academy on Age-Friendly Environments in Europe BV (The Netherlands)
ASOCIACIJA SENJORU INICIATYVU CENTRAS (Lithuania)

Outputs

We will elaborate a Fact Sheet to inform about the project and to raise awareness for the issue by portraying age-friendly neighbourhoods and the political, social and digital participation of older adults, as well as the opinions and perspectives of stakeholders, representatives of the target group, potential participants.

We will develop a Training Concept and Curriculum as the basis for the trainings with older adults, who will develop their own ideas based on their interests and needs and are supported and empowered to build-up strong teams and networks and to implement their age-friendly neighbourhood initiatives. The curriculum will innovatively combine the issues of age-friendly environments and digital literacy.

The Training Kit will include the curriculum as well as tools and methods that have proven to be helpful in the trainings. It will mainly address training providers, trainers in adult education (with a focus on older target groups) and organisations working with and for older people. The training kit aims to inspire others to implement similar training activities in their local contexts.

The Digital Training will give an insight into the Bridge the Gap! training, provide helpful background information and resources to be used by practitioners in adult education and by older people for autonomous distance learning.