Methods

Impulse lecture is slightly different from a standard lecture. Its focus is to motivate older citizens for active participation in the civil society on EU-matters and in actively shaping the environment they live in and to present some thematic areas on national and international levels as impulses for the national citizens’ panel sessions.

The idea is to crochet and knit a woollen ribbon that symbolizes a certain course or route – in our case it was the river Danube. The idea behind was to foster a common feeling of being part of the Danube community.

Contemporary witnesses are people who are able to give insights on historical events and traditions, since they lived during that time. Contemporary witnesses work focuses on these witnesses, and refines their experiences for the public, and in some cases, it also helps the contemporary witnesses themselves to better understand their past.

As a method, mobility allows the exchange of experience, practice and methods to better understand the diverse cultural, social and economic trends in Europe as well as areas of common interest. It helps to enhance the opportunities for adults to study and work with students in other countries to promote their self-esteem and to increase their adaptability.

The application of the method contributed to the development of an educational program with themes, subtopics, methods and educational tools enhancing the role of third-age people in the civil dialogue process at all levels. It helped the exchange of ideas and knowledge between generations, nations and cultures. The method contributed to improving the social environment in the Danube countries through the organization of continuing education.

Lifelong learning of people of every age group, also old adults, is not a luxury but a social necessity. The method serves to consolidate or apply knowledge, skills and competencies in practice. It consists of deliberately carrying out certain actions and repeating them in order to form and improve one or other skills and habits. The character and the methodology of their application depend on the specific curriculum, as well as on the level of preparation and development of elderly learners.

Lifelong learning is the key to assuring that experience and competences of older people are not lost to society. The method was used to enhance the participation of older learners, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and to increase the participants’ creativity on the topic of the river Danube and Danube countries through telling personal stories.

Semi-structured Interviews were conducted to explore older people’s perceptions and ideas about the required and desired competencies of professionals working with the population in their later life. Empirical work was conducted in five countries, so that the views of elderly people from different regions of Europe could be fully considered and integrated in a culturally comprehensive framework (a qualitative approach; sixteen semi-structured interviews in each country). This methodology permits elderly people to express their ideas and perceptions in an in-depth and freely way, giving the space and time that is offered to elaborate on specific needs and desires which can be oriented by cultural, social/environmental or individual factors.