Panel Discussion
Main goals:
To provoke a conversation in which to present different points of view.
To boost European identity, to develop and apply key competences and to evaluate the different aspects of active social inclusion.
To establish cooperation with other organisations on local level (NGOs providing education for seniors, decision-makers of municipalities, associations representing older citizens, experts, national EU representatives and representatives of the European Commission).
The subject areas:
- Active ageing in Europe / Solidarity between the generations.
- Migration as a challenge / Minorities as a chance.
- Sustainability of cultural heritage / National and European Identity.
- Ecology / Environment.
Stages:
Stage/Step 1: Preparatory activities (forming own questions, preparing pictures, presentations and questionnaires)
Stage/Step 2: Conducting the discussion (questions and answers session, delivery of participants’ presentations)
Stage/Step 3: Recapitulation of the questions discussed and drawing of conclusions
Stage/Step 4: Publishing the discussion results
Outputs:
Two surveys, developed by the pensioners-participants on:
- Active Ageing;
- Migration.
Two scientific surveys, developed by pensioners-researchers on:
- Migration, Family and Names,
- The employment of relatives of the Union of Pensioners-Ruse.
Five essays, developed by pensioners and publishing in local newsletters and websites.
Developing statistical analysis of every survey and presentations, and present the results to an appropriate audience.
Publishing:
- Two books (in English and in Bulgarian languages) with the project’s results, developed by the project researcher;
- A scientific paper, developed by the project researcher.
Results:
One of the main results was a new society created by the participating seniors for exchanging organizational information, presentations, music, etc. such kind of society did not previously exist in Ruse Region, Bulgaria.
The University of Ruse established cooperation with many local and international organizations on the base of adult training.
Target group: older citizens,multiplicators
Age group: all ages
Gender: mixed
Pedagogical Information
Panel discussions stimulate creative and analytical thinking, receiving feedback from the participants, and they also allow all participants to express their thoughts and feelings.European Dimension
It helped develop European identity and key competences of active social inclusion. It put as a future goal the establishment of a Centre of Education of Third Age at the University of Ruse (which was established in 2014). The European topics included in the method are: Diversity, Freedom, Solidarity, Heritage, Human rights, Democracy (political participation), Social inclusion.Applied in projects
Danube-Networkers - Neighbours at work
Older adults (55+) are an active age group with various life styles and social milieus. They differ considerably between and within countries – just like any other part of the population. The project focuses on providing experiences and improving competences necessary for the integration of third-age citizens into the workforce.
