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.
The aim of the project was to show the diverse lives of people aged 60 to 90 in various European countries and to make an international comparison of living conditions. An insight into the lives of seniors was to be provided by interviews conducted by learners aged 45+ and younger, these were to show how the interviewees cope with their third age, what activities they engage in, what living conditions they find and what challenges they face at this age. It should promote the understanding of older people from their own and other countries, reduce prejudices and encourage reflection on their own lives, as well as a common European exchange. Central results are the creation of 120 interviews with pictures and 24 case study videos . In addition, a timeline of historical and political data should be created as background information. A selection of socio-economic data should help to understand the living conditions in the different countries. Eight partners from six countries (Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Rumania, Serbia) worked together to achieve these goals. All results and methodology are now presented on a project website. The exchange between the groups and the work on local and European level should be promoted in future.
Often we do not really know, how older people in our country live their everyday life, what hobbies, interests, challenges and wishes they have, and sometimes we know even less about the lifestyle of seniors from other European countries. In the Erasmus+ project "Discovering European Neighbours in the Third Age" (DENTA), 8 organisations from 6 European countries worked together to give an insight view into the daily lives of people aged 60+ through interviews and video-clips, to discover strategies of mastering their third age keeping in mind the historical and socio-economic context. A major concern in the project was social inclusion of older people, giving them the opportunity to be heard and to show them the respect they deserve as an indispensable part of the society. In addition, the project provides inspiration for younger generations and people from other European countries to learn and reflect on how to shape their own third age. Learners aged 45+ and younger should receive digital skills from younger people and be qualified in conducting and writing interviews, taking videos and photos, translation, desktop research, etc. An international and intergenerational exchange between the learner groups should be encouraged.