In the course of this project, alternative women’s city tours were developed in various cities along the Danube. Together, women went on a voyage of discovery, they appreciated the contributions of women, discussed gender history and gave the opportunity to reflect on their own understanding of roles. The influence and work of women in the respective cities was made visible and a contribution made to the European Union’s gender equality strategy.

These women’s stories were researched and laid out for a book and city tours by students and pupils.

The project was sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation.

Project partners:

Danube Connects, Ulm

The World of NGOs, Vienna, Austria

Sétamühely-Budapest walkshop (formerly known as BUPAP), Budapest, Hungary

Novi Sad School of Journalism, Novi Sad, Serbia

Asociatia Pro Democratia, Bukarest, Romania

The aim was to build a learning community to promote Active Ageing and Lifelong Learning. The focus was on the following topics:

• Health and prevention for conservation of competence and productivity
• Social integration via the new media
• Intergenerational dialogue

Learning is a major part of Active Ageing and promotes not only the physical and psychological health, but also helps older people to remain socially integrated, to feel perceived and appreciated.

We developed an Active-Ageing Learning Community in which over 60 years old people are able to educated themselves further together with younger learners aged 16 to 35 years old.  

Our vision was a lively, generation-spanning Learning community, shaped by mutual appreciation, support and exchange.

The project lasted from 01.11.2012 to 31.10.2014.

The project was coordinated by the Technical University Gabrovo (Bulgaria). Project parterns were: ZAWiW (Ulm University, Germany), University Coruña (Spain), Provinvical Association of Pensioners and Retired People from A Coruña (Spain), Patto Territoriale Oristano Soc. Cons. a r.l. (Italy), and Age Action Ltd. (Ireland).

The project promoted fruitful interaction between European organizations in the field of formal and non-formal education and adult education. This made it possible to build a partnership network, to develop adult mobility projects, to encourage and to support the entrepreneurship and initiative of adults and the possibility of including them in similar educational projects.

Project partners:

• “Angel Kanchev” University of Ruse, Ruse, Bulgaria
• XIII. Kerületi Közművelődési Nonprofit Kft., Budapest, Hungary
• Europski dom Vukovar, Vukovar, Croatia
• Asociaţia Culturală “Constantin Brâncuşi”, Timişoara, Romania
• International Association for Danube Research, Wilhering, Austria

On this background, the DASUN Project aimed to develop, in cooperation with four universities and NGOs from 4 Danube countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Germany), concepts for academic continuing education program for old adults as a bridge between science and citizens, designed to fit to the local frame conditions. The concepts that have already been practiced by the Zentrum für Allgemeine Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung (ZAWiW) der Universität Ulm in Germany were individually adapted to the circumstances of each partner and subsequently implemented and evaluated, in order to develop sustainable concepts and educational praxis.

The project DASUN contributed to the building of bridges between universities and NGOs in four Danube countries and fosters the idea of LLL and active ageing for old adults in the Danube region.

Project partners:

• Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education of Ulm University, Germany
• University of Ruse Angel Kanchev, Ruse, Bulgaria
• Window Association of Romania
• University of Belgrade, Serbia
• National Foundation for Human Aging dr Laza Lazarevic, University of the Third Age, Belgrade, Serbia
• The State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Sofia, Bulgaria
• Association of University Libraries, Sofia, Bulgaria
• University of Craiova, Romania
• Union of Pensioners, Ruse Region, Ruse, Bulgaria

The older generations possess knowledge and experience acquired in their profession, private life and social engagement; they were confronted by different social and political systems and were witnesses of their transformation. They are actors as well as consumers in a changing society that due to reduction of the borders and process of democratisation provides new possibilities for social participation within the own state and in a cross-national way.

Through new forms of activating Lifelong learning the project aims at empowering older citizens for participation in the development of the Danube Region so that they understand the chances and the risks in the current developments, articulate their interests and define together the possibilities for action and for future perspectives of their Region.

There were involved over 250 older persons 55+ as well as a number of younger ones from education and civic organisations in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Romania and Slovenia.

Actions included education of the participants via lectures on selected subjects that concern the future of the Danube Region. The topics of these lectures were discussed in national citizens’ panels, cross-national discussion in an Internet forum (web-based cross-national citizen’s panel), cross-national face-to-face citizens’ panel in Croatia and a closing conference in Brodaritsa. Thus, active participation in civil society were fostered and a European identity formed.

All proceedings and outcomes were documented on the project Internet-based information platform.

Project partners:

• Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education of Ulm University, Germany
• University of Ruse Angel Kanchev, Ruse, Bulgaria
• Slovenian Third Age University, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• University of Craiova, Romania
• International Association for Danube Research, Wilhering, Austria
• Public Open University Zagreb – University of the Third Age, Zagreb, Croatia

1st meeting:      Gdansk, PL         Nov 02 – 05, 2011

2nd meeting:    Fuengirola, ES    Feb 15 – 17, 2012

3rd meeting:     Klaipėda, LT        Jul 04 – 06, 2012

4th meeting:     Tulcea, RO          Sep 26 – 29, 2012

5th meeting:     Mola di Mari, IT Mar 20 – 23, 2013

6th meeting:     Graz, AT               Jul 10 – 23, 2013

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.

With the SenVol project the partners exchanged and gained experience from other countries in the field of volunteering. The project aimed to raise awareness for the importance of volunteering. It showed volunteering of older people in different settings and cultures of the participating countries and showed  also that our society nowadays would not really work without volunteering.

SenVol highlighted also the learning process that happens during volunteering. And we also promoted the fact that older people have a unique knowledge and lots of experiences and can pass their knowledge, values, traditions, culture to others, also to younger generations. SenVol promoted the process of active ageing and it gave senior volunteers an opportunity to share their knowledge, skills and experiences with others, on regional and European level, for a constant and better integration of volunteers in active life. That’s why we involved the target group of older people in the project and encouraged them to participate in voluntary work not only in their regions, but also at European level.

During the project the partners collected and reflected on good practices.

Examples of senior volunteering:

• The Universities of Third Age, where older people contribute to the cultural promotion of the participants through courses on specific subjects and art labs;
• Charitable service where older people take care of poor people that are weak and helpless;
• Volunteering organizations helping elderly people, disabled people, migrants, women in difficulty…;
• Associations of transgenerational transmission of culture and work; As an outcome the project partners developed a guideline for volunteers and for volunteer organizations.

Project partners:

• bia-net Netzwerk Bildung im Alter, Austria – Project coordinator
• EOI – Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Fuengirola, Spain
• Towarzystwo Edukacyjne „Wiedza Powszechna”, Poland
• Socialinių mokslų kolegijos Studentų klubas; Lithuania
• Universita´Terza Eta´Mola di Bari, Italy
• Liceul Pedagogic, Romania

The need of the beneficiaries (of the group involved) is to become able to communicate in a simple and direct way also in the workplace, to use the network, to receive information through the web and simply to travel independently in the world.

The use of dramatization and the computer in the learning process is a great help, although language acquisition depends above all on the relationship between teachers and old students.

In each participating institution a careful analysis was carried out on the needs of the older students from which it emerged that there are several reasons why adults may feel the need to learn English:

• developing professional skills;
• improving specific skills;
• enjoying one’s own free time in a creative and intelligent way
• using it as an instrument to be able to know and understand the traditions and culture of other countries and people.

After a careful analysis, the partners set the minimum standards to learn a foreign language satisfactorily and through a questionnaire on 10 teachers has been possible to establish that an individual must achieve a standard about basic linguistic functions such as:

• ask and answer about time, date, weather, etc.;
• describe oneself and people;
• talk about what one has.

From the interviews made and the questionnaire administered to adult people it emerged that on a sample of 10 teachers for each partner institution, their preferred teaching method was not based on a “grammatical approach”, but on a “communicative and functional approach”. We must not learn an abstract language, spoken only in books, but we must develop a communicative competence, which enables us to communicate and create bridges.

We must not forget the importance of the use of a common language in transnational relations in order to develop union among people of different countries, because this also contributes to create bridges and demolish walls in order to foster a European identity and awareness. And this is, according to us, the value added to this project that makes it a good fit for BBE. The result of this project and work was collected in a publication of a text composed of 10 teaching units, realized in the number of two for each participant partner, which was realized according to the strategies and methods researched, discussed and considered most suitable for the achievement of the objectives set at the beginning of the project.

Project partners:

• Federazione Italiana tra le univesità della Terza Età – Project coordinator
• The University of the Third Age of Mola di Bari associated with Federuni, Italy
• U3A of Campania, Italy
• Vilnius Women’s Training Center of Lithuania, lithuania
• Varkaus Senior High School, Finland
• The center of continuous formation of Arles, France

Project partners:

• Federazione Italiana tra le univesità della Terza Età, Italy – Project coordinator
• Cattedra Rezzara & The University of Vicenza, Italy
• Cattedra Rezzara & The University of Mola di Bari, Italy

Projects partners:

• Institute for Study Knowledge and Society,  (BAS), Sofia, Bulgaria – Project coordinator
• Manchester Business School, Manchester University, United Kingdom
• Sofia University “St.St .Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria
• Ethnographic Institute with Museum, BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria
• Medical Centre Integrative Medicine, Sofia, Bulgaria

The main topics dealt with by the partners in the project were:

– what kind of knowledge and skill set are needed so that the qualified guidance practitioners be able to support and counsel their clients effectively?

-What should be the right attitudes and behaviour to be manifested by counsellors in order to act in fair, appreciative, and sensitive ways that respect  diversity and the needs of their clients;

– how might counselling and guidance services best support clients to discover and access their potentials and, furthermore, to help them find suitable ways of accessing the job market.

The main efforts were targeted at finding a common base in how to help people of disadvantaged target groups participate in life-long learning and provide suitable strategies to find a way back to work life. An essential issue was the definition of content when it comes to counselling, to differentiate it from other activities, like, for instance, therapeutic support. Furthermore, were addressed possible methods and approaches to help the counsellor recognise clients’ individual needs

Central to the project was also the intercultural exchange: not only of methods and approaches, but also regarding the educational and vocational systems and country-specific attitudes towards diversity.

Partners from Romania and Bulgaria intended to increase their knowledge, among other things, about the educational guidance offers and business foundation coaching in Germany as part of the adult education system. Partners in Germany wanted to learn more about mobile and outreach approaches and also the vocational education system in the partner countries. This is considered to be very helpful in counselling the increasing number of people coming from Romania or Bulgaria to Germany.

But the main aim of the project remained that of supporting the target groups in their home countries and to foster the national economy by counselling and qualifying disadvantaged persons.

Project partners:

• TTG Team Training GmbH, Germany
• Agentia Judeteana Pentru Ocuparea Fortei de Munca Galati, Romania
• Ministerium für Kultus, Jugend und Sport Baden-Württemberg, Germany
• Asociatia Multifunctionala Filantropica Sfantul Spiridon, Galati, Romania
• University of Ruse Angel Kanchev, Bulgaria
• Sdruzhenie Teritorialna Organizatsia na Nauchno-Tehnicheskite Spetsialisti, Bulgaria
• Diakonisches Werk der Evangelischen Kirche in Württemberg e.V., Germany
• Asociatia Ecumenica a Bisericilor din Romania, Romania