Projects

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.

The main objective of the initiative is to ensure the strengthening of the role of third age people in the process of civil dialogue on all levels, exchange of ideas and knowledge between the generations, nations and cultures, aiming at improving the regional and local level social environment in the Danube countries by organizing qualified continuing education.

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.

The project work started with a short research about volunteering in all partner countries. 5 regular transnational meetings ensured a good project progress. During the meetings partners worked in groups, discussing different aspects of volunteering. Older learners and volunteers have always participated in the meetings, as their meaning and approach was very important. Discussion groups, involving volunteers and volunteer organizations were also created on national level. The SenVol project showed the volunteering of elderly people in different contexts and cultures of the participating countries and showed that today our society does not really work without volunteering. It also highlighted the learning process that takes place during volunteering.

The members of the participating groups in the partners` locations, seniors as well as younger adults, prepared 3-5 personalized Town Tours on subjects of their choice and present them to members of partner groups from other countries as well as to other local older and young people and give them an understanding of their town. Cross-national exchanges enabled the projects` learners to gain know-how in the linguistic, cultural and historical backgrounds of other project members` living environments.

The project was a continuation of the network EMIL founded by many European partners and ECIL, another network specialised in intergenerational learning (both networks were funded by Calouste Gulbenkian). Out of the latter network was born the ECIL - European Certificate in Intergenerational Learning partnership. The project was devoted to vocational training and its intergenerational learning contents.

DALEC was a “Media Project Old and Young” with the thematic focus on “Values and Paths along the Danube” across five countries. Five scientific lectures were prepared by scientists for lay people, held live to an audience in the respective locations and transmitted over the internet in an online-lecture series. The lectures were discussed face to face and via internet forums nationally and transnationally. The accompanying discussions, therefore, also contributed to a better understanding between old and young. In mini-projects some of the young and old participants worked with different methods based on the topics of the lectures. In the end, more than five mini projects were accomplished and complemented the online-lectures.