About the Project
With the average age of people over 65 increasing, nowadays people live longer and healthier than in the past (“Ageing Europe”, EU 2020). However, senior adults’ quality of life goes beyond health including social and psychological factors, highlighting factors such as social isolation and lack of motivation which endanger their overall health.
It is worth noticing that research presents the dominant importance of seniors’ digital literacy transformation into a precondition for social inclusion, especially in the new conditions formed after COVID 19 crisis (Milenkova, 2021).
Intergenerational interaction activities have already been successfully implemented in Greece, under the “Larissa Learning City” initiative on the topic of Citizenship Education. BETA project is based on this tested example, which is awarded as a good practice by UNESCO (2017). Moreover, BETA aims to support seniors’ social inclusion by involving them both in on-site and online learning activities and communication with children (ages 7-12) in local Laboratories.
While professional interest from a variety of fields is increasing on the topic, intergenerational interaction is found to be supportive in seniors’ social inclusion and at the same time keeps new generations grounded in their national history providing a link to the past
(Orte et all, 2018)
In this frame seniors are offered opportunities to regularly interact with children and develop simple digital skills and English language competences to achieve access in contemporary lifestyle, reinforcing their efforts to continue being active and resilient citizens. Besides this, children have chances to learn from the elderly experience within carefully designed, regular communication paths. Involved in learn-by-doing activities, children are expected to develop empathy regarding active ageing and inclusion.
The vision of BETA project is to network seniors ‘care facilities and institutions for daily care of children, aiming to develop and disseminate a new good practice ready to become international.
On a pilot basis, the BETA curriculum will be implemented by three organizations from Greece, Italy, and Cyprus. It is designed to be tested through trainings that upscale elderly care and children care professionals’ profiles, and Laboratories. An interactive digital platform is being developed, the design of which will take under consideration recently recorded needs of the elderly. Contemporary needs like social networking, digital skills and wellbeing will be examined via an international post pandemic survey. The interactive BETA platform is being designed to facilitate intergenerational networking as a leverage for a vibrant community which promotes inclusion. A coherent product, the project policy recommendations for active ageing will be published in the “Bridges for Intergenerational Approach Theory and Practice” guidebook
