Discovering European Neighbours in the Third Age Erasmus Project

Project Title

Discovering European Neighbours in the Third Age

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Social dialogue

Project Summary

The project “Discovering European Neighbours in the Third Age” (DENTA) will be realized by 8 organisations coming from 6 different European countries (Italy, France, Germany, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria). The aim is to find out about daily lives of people aged 60 to 90 in different European countries. The perception of older people in the own and the other countries is influenced by the depiction in the mass media, which are mostly superficial or stereotyped. The projects results will provide a deeper insight view into the lives of people in the third age, into the diversity of life in older age within the own country and across different European countries in South, West and South-East of Europe, the diversity of their living conditions, their leisure activities, and the challenges (financial, social, health, e.g.) they face. For the life stories, elderly people will be interviewed by learners aged 45+ and younger. In the 1st meeting the partners will decide how to structure the interviews and who will be interviewed (gender, living area, social-background, e.g.) to provide a base for comparison. The results of these interviews will be presented to a wider public in form of texts, photos and video-clips on a website. They will not be representative, but aim to inspire people to reflect about the living conditions and the political, social and educational backgrounds of people 60+ in South, West and South-East Europe. It will show, what older people have in common and what is different. The international comparison of the interviews will be supported by national research of the living conditions carried out by each of the partner groups and used as base for comparison during the partner meetings. By providing case studies and background data, the project will aim to increase the understanding of everyday lives of older people in other European countries as well as in the own country.
Each partner organisation will find people aged 60 to 90 ready to be interviewed and learners aged 45+ interested in this subject, inside their University of the Third Age or educational organisation, or by associated partners which support the idea of the project (naming older adults of interest to be interviewed, pupils and students for supporting). Each partner will form stable learning groups. The learners will conduct the interviews and document them in written form, to present the texts by using new media and to translate them. This procedure will have a triple effect: the interviewed people aged 60+ will feel appreciated, the people aged 45+ conducting the interviews need to reflect about their own “third age” and the younger people (students and pupils) will learn about an age, which is related to the life of their own grandparents. The younger people will bring new perspectives and knowledge, especially of the new media, which can be inspirational for people aged 45+ and 60+. Intergenerational dialogue will be fostered with benefits for all.
Training will be provided on how to make interviews with people aged 60 to 90, how to document and present the interviews in writing, how to translate the texts in the other languages and how to make digital photos and video-clips. Training session will be offered on national level. The results of the ongoing project will be presented and discussed during the six partner meetings.
The transnational communication will be in English, being aware of possible difficulties, as many of the learners have not had the chance to learn English or to apply it. Therefore, younger people and other learners with the knowledge of any of the other project partners’ languages can take over the role of language mediator.
In the end, there will be a collection of 120 interviews and 24 case studies going into depth. The methodology of the project, the results of the interviews and of the analysis of the background data will be published on the website. The results will be disseminated in the digital newsletters of the national and international networks where the partners are members, as well as presented at national and international conferences. The aim is to inspire other adult education providers to initiate such groups on regional level or to apply them in further cooperation with twinning towns, school programs, e.g..
This project will provide an insight into the living conditions of older people in the different countries and inviting people to reflect more about their own lives and of elderly people they know, it will contribute to have a better understanding of the life conditions of European neighbours in the third age. It will inspire researchers to more in-depth studies in this field and inspire educators to apply methodology and central questions. It will bring people closer to Europe by giving knowledge and sympathies for the others and the feeling of being “European” oneself, which is the base for peaceful common Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 112834,34 Eur

Project Coordinator

Institut für virtuelles und reales Lernen in der Erwachsenenbildung an der Universität Ulm e.V. (ILEU) & Country: DE

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITY OF RUSE ANGEL KANCHEV
• UNISULKY – UNIVERSITÀ POPOLARE DEL SULCIS
• Zavod za proucavanje kulturnog razvitka
• Association pour la Diffusion et l’Animation du Patrimoine Historique du Morbihan ADAPHM
• Universität des 3. Lebensalters an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a. M. e. V.
• AGORA Platform – Active Communities for Development Alternatives Association
• Asociatia “Liga Scriitorilor” Filiala Timisoara Banat