Simulation
Main goals:
To give older people floor and instruments for expressing, recording and exchanging a wealth of knowledge and experiences about the common subject the river Danube and the Danube countries and their history that is of interest to all generations.
The subtopic related to the topic of the river Danube and the Danube countries was Traditions connected with life along the river Danube.
To encourage informal communication through creative participation of older adults with oral stories or its combinations with songs, dances, music, poems, jokes in events such as:
- St. Lazarus Day. It is a holiday intimately connected with Easter which has an important place in Bulgarian folklore beliefs. It is also called Lazaritsa – a day on which young girls (Lazarki) are initiated to become future wives;
- Blagoveshtenie (in Bulgarian meaning “Sweet News”). It is the day, nine months before the birth of Jesus Christ, when Archangel Gabriel came to the Holy Virgin and told her that she would become the mother of the Son of God.
- Sedyanka. It is an evening in a Bulgarian home full of traditional singing and music. Each guest becomes a storyteller and an author of unknown stories – handed down from generation to generation, stories of eminent families, legends and myths and historical events.
- Bulgarian Wedding Traditions. They, however, are particularly interesting – they are colorful, memorable, and invaluable as they are hundreds of years old.To foster intercultural and intergenerational dialogue.
To foster intercultural and intergenerational dialogue.
To increase the participants’ European awareness.
Stages:
Stage/Step 1: Introducing the Regional body and members of the Union of Pensioners to the idea of presenting Danube stories to the celebrations of:
- St. Lazarus Day;
- Blagoveshtenie;
- Sedyanka;
- Godezh (A Bulgarian Wedding Tradition).
Stage/Step 2:Selecting the participants (senior citizens) in the festivals about Danube stories
Stage/Step 3: Events’ logistics
Stage/Step 4: Conducting the events
Stage/Step 5: Taking pictures of the Danube storytelling
Stage/Step 6: Getting feedback
Outputs:
9 attractive presentations of Danube stories.
A book Danube stories with information about the festivals and other events organized in the framework of the DASTO project.
A scientific publication about DASTO.
A project website in English and German languages.
A University website in Bulgarian.
Many reports and presentations, developed by the project manager.
Results:
Expressed, recorded and exchanged knowledge and experiences about the river Danube and the Danube countries – Traditions connected with life along the river Danube.
Encouraged informal communication through creative participation of older adults with oral stories or its combinations with songs, dances, music, poems, and jokes in two festivals.
Fostered intercultural and intergenerational dialogue.
Increased the participants’ European awareness.
Created a network of older people from the Danube countries and fostered their European spirit.
Target group: older people, general audience
Age group: all generations
Gender: mixed
Pedagogical Information
The adult learners simulate their own demeanour or demeanour of somebody else in conditions that are not present at the moment but are very close to the real situations. Simulation enables all generations to exchange and learn new knowledge, skills and competences, communicate informally, and enable intercultural dialogue by entering roles. In the simulation, successful communication is the result of satisfying transmission and understanding of messages between players who express their personalities mentioned in social and professional positions. The criteria for evaluation of communication in the simulations are:- understandability of the presentations - text requirements, informative and responsive to expectations;
- cognitive or social adequacy and relevance of speech production relative to the role, partner, situation and set of other texts;
- implementation of communicative intent in individual speech acts (interactivity and efficiency).
European Dimension
Developed new knowledge about the river Danube and the Danube countries through traditions connected with life along the Danube. Fostered intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. Increased the participants’ European awareness. Created a network of older people from the Danube countries and fostered their European spirit. The European topics included in the method are: Diversity, Solidarity, Heritage, Social inclusion.Applied in projects
Danube Stories
The project focuses on educating elderly learners about current economic issues. Danube Stories brings together organizations from different countries and different spheres of activity to work together and exchange best practices in areas such as adult social inclusion and the acquisition of new cultural and / or linguistic skills through formal and informal methods of education and training.
