CONTEXT Internet, social networks, digital media and smart devices in general have transformed in a relatively short period of time many aspects of people’s private, professional and social life. Yet many people aged 65+ is lacking to a great extent the necessary digital skills to be able to be fully actively and participative in civic and social spheres and processes. Statistics show that it is precisely the elderly in particular who at the highest risk of digital exclusion as well as that the acquisition of ICT and digital skills can contribute to address fundamental societal challenges, such as the demographic change and the new social risks, i.e. poverty, social exclusion or unfair access to social protection, by the adoption, of ICT and digital technologies and this societal transformation. Ensuring that older people have the opportunity to take an active part in the society is very important to make our societies more inclusive. To do this, we can help older people to express themselves by analyzing and systematizing their concerns and real needs. No citizens actually exist unless they have a voice in public life, unless they have real and active access to participatory and social progress. With new, innovative methods and learning materials produced for and with the contributions of the elder, DIGITALISE ME aims at building a stable and replicable educational offer and improving the provision and supply of quality learning non-formal and informal opportunities tailored to the needs of older adults that educators and educational providers can implement in their countries. While, at the same time, bridging the efforts coming from educational providers, organisations working with older adults and public bodies into unified and more targeted actions that move towards the same direction: provision of better quality education and opportunities for a higher quality and more inclusive daily life of seniors. GROUPS TARGETED: The project will target directly: - Older learners, seniors in general - Adult educators: social workers, teachers, mentors, professors, etc. - Staff working in public administration or seniors’ organisations Indirectly, the project will target other project stakeholders, namely educational centres and other organisations working in the field of adult education; public bodies active in the field of culture and heritage (NGOs, civic organisations, museums, libraries, etc.); policy makers in the field of education and social and civic participation (public bodies staff, managers and heads of departments, etc.) ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS “Digitalise me” envisages the development of three main Intellectual Outputs: IO1: Elaboration of a “Digital Living Basics Pack”: a transversal mapping of Basic Digital Competences needed for a higher and better social and civic participation. IO2: Development of the programme and learning materials of the blended training course “Basic Digital Skills for social and civic active participation” IO3: Training, organisation and monitoring of study groups of older adults led by educators/mentors. BENEFITS The developed learning materials will address the specific needs of seniors, which will, on the one hand, promote their participation and persistence in lifelong learning activities, their basic digital skills and their social inclusion, and, on the other, the educational competences of educators and other staff working directly with seniors. There will be diagnosed the basic skills needed for them to be sufficiently digitally competent to have a higher quality life and new and innovative educational materials and methodologies developed with such an aim. DIGITALISE ME will support during and after the project’s life-span the extension of professional competences of adult educators working with seniors while reducing disparities between their capabilities and the ones required to participate in different social and civic life processes. Through an educational initiative launched by multi-sectorial partnership (education centres, public bodies, third age universities, civil organisations, etc.), DIGITALILSE ME will be a motor for the professional development of adult educators and partner organisations’ competences to discover and develop new methods and techniques to improve basic digital competences of seniors while motivating and fostering their active participation of social processes. A transversal approach to address such issues in cooperation among organisations, institutions and public bodies working with the elderly is essential to ensure the creation of safe and comfortable learning paths towards a successful boost of their digital competences.
The main objective of this project was to respond to the needs previously identified, i.e. to contribute to ensuring equal access of the older population to dignified civic and social participation, thus minimising the risk of digital exclusion. This is done by empowering seniors in the area of new technologies and ICT, and by equipping education providers with appropriate tools, materials, knowledge and methodologies in the area of andragogy. To this end, the DIGITALISE ME project aimed to build a stable and replicable educational offer, with new and innovative methods and learning materials produced for and with input from seniors, thus improving the provision and delivery of quality non-formal and informal learning opportunities tailored to the needs of older adults, which educators and education providers can implement in their countries.
In a short period of time the internet, social networks, digital media and smart devices in general have transformed many aspects of people's private, professional and social lives. Many people over 65 lack the digital skills necessary to be fully active and participative in civic and social spheres and processes. Statistically it`s older people who are most at risk of digital exclusion. Therefore the acquisition of ICT and digital skills can contribute to addressing key social challenges such as poverty, social exclusion or unfair access to social protection. This project aimed to contribute in a positive and targeted way to minimise these risks and promote equal access to civic participation and also to respond to needs already identified in the area of digital and ICT skills. These needs are as much the needs of seniors as there are needs at the level of capacity building of people working with the elderly population (for example in the use of adapted teaching materials and methods). It is intended to empower this most vulnerable group with regard to the use of new ICTs, ensuring the availability of a stable and replicable educational offer, both for the recipients themselves and for the educational providers working with them.