Cyberseniors: Active Ageing through ICT Erasmus Project

Project Title

Cyberseniors: Active Ageing through ICT

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

The main objective of “Cyberseniors: Active Ageing through ICT” is to train people over 55 at risk of socio-digital exclusion in general, and in rural areas in particular, in the use of ICT tools that help them perform daily tasks in different areas: leisure, health, online banking, virtual communication, public administrations, etc., and how to use them safely.

The idea of this project arises from a programme of Fundación Cibervoluntarios called Expertclick, successfully developed nationally in Spain in 2019, focused on training people over 55 who live in rural areas in applications for mobile phones and tablets for perform daily operations.

This idea has been reinforced by the Covid-19 crisis that erupted in Europe in March 2020, and which has caused collective priorities to change globally. The fact that citizens must stay at home makes digital tools which allow people to communicate, and to carry out day-to-day operations at different levels to gain all the importance.
In this sense, it is clear that ICTs have the potential to prevent or reduce this isolation through various mechanisms of participation and connection with the outside world.
Therefore, Cyberseniors focuses on equipping older people with those digital tools and skills that allow them to maintain their independence and continue to carry out daily activities necessary for the development of their lifestyle, regardless of where they are, and to do so at a European level, involving different countries with the aim of creating a common space where our elders are reflected and promoting participation and active ageing.

This objective will be achieved through an in-depth analysis of the situation in the countries of the participating organizations, the creation of a new pedagogical methodology adapted to this reality and the development of an e-learning platform, which will include open educational resources created and adapted for both face-to-face and online training.

This way, the main objectives of the project are:
1-To provide continuous mixed learning to people over 55 on the use of useful tools and applications to carry out tasks of their daily life in different fields and thus improve their quality of life;
2- To fight loneliness and social exclusion of older people, especially those who reside in rural areas, highlighting the gender perspective.
3- To raise awareness among older people about the safe use of the internet and digital applications.
4- To create an innovative online multilingual training platform with open educational resources for face-to-face and online training in the use of ICT tools and applications for older people in Europe.
5-To create a quality evaluation and usability report of the products developed, based on pilot training activities in partner countries.

Therefore, the target groups are:
-People over 55 years of age residing in partner countries and their environment, with especial focus on those living in rural areas, who will be able to learn about digital tools and applications that help them carry out daily task, thus combating isolation, loneliness and socio-digital exclusion and improving their independence.
-Organizations and entities whose beneficiaries are people over 55. They may include this type of training among their offer focused on improving the quality of life of their beneficiaries.
-Workers / trainers / volunteers: People who work day by day with the older people targeted by the project, carrying out innovative and inclusive good practices.

The consortium is made up of 5 organizations from Spain, Austria, Ireland, Romania and Cyprus, with experience in working with older people and in developing projects focused on training and the creation of open educational resources. Fundación Cibervoluntarios in Spain is the creator of the project and brings the experience of the national background project. The Vienna Association of Education Volunteers and Age & Opportunity of Ireland provide the point of view of organizations that work directly with older people. The Synthesis Center for Research and Education in Cyprus will bring its expertise in the development of adapted educational resources, and the National Association for Women in Rural Areas in Romania will bring the gender and rural perspective.

Finally, the project fits in with the Sustainable Development Goals, and especially with goals 4, 5 and 10 (Reduction of inequalities).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 157588 Eur

Project Coordinator

FUNDACION CIBERVOLUNTARIOS & Country: ES

Project Partners

• VIENNA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATION VOLUNTEERS
• Asociatia Nationala a Femeilor din Mediul Rural
• SYNTHESIS CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION LIMITED
• AGE & OPPORTUNITY