The Project, Safeguarding older persons’ legal and human rights through an active citizenship inter-generational approach, will be a strategic partnership between four organisations (Sage Advocacy (Ireland), BAGSO (Germany), Tulip Foundation (Bulgaria) and Pro Senectute (Austria) which will seek to develop through learning and exchange of practice how an active citizenship and inter-generational response to protecting the human and legal rights of older persons in the participating countries can be advanced. The project will have two horizontal priorities: social inclusion and common values, civic engagement and participation. It will also seek to reflect the new field-specific priority listed in the ERASMUS + Guidelines published on 27th February 2020 -- offering activities of education and exchanges of experiences to seniors, with view to building and adding solidity to the European identity. The project will consist of a 3-day learning/training event in each partner organisation which will have a number of learning activities: Engage learners in looking at ways of protecting the rights of older people both as individuals and as a population group Raise awareness about older persons’ legal and human rights among both older persons and civil society generally Highlight areas where older persons’ rights may be infringed Identify good practices where these exist. Develop through dialogue and analysis of existing good practice in each partner country a Good Practice Handbook on How to Protect the Rights of Older Persons. The staff training and learning activities will be structured in such a way that the learners will enhance their knowledge and understanding of basic EU and UN documents relevant to the rights of older people, in particular the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Council of Europe Recommendations on Promoting the Human Rights of Older Persons and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Learners will acquire new insights into existing and emerging discussions on questions concerning the rights of older people Project Outputs • Transnational Project Meetings in each partner country • 3-day short-term staff training in each partner country • A Handbook of Good Practice which will: Promote the concept of intergenerational solidarity in protecting the human and legal rights and older persons Identify best practice in respect of (1) identified through Transnational Project Meetings and staff training Contain key messages about how to identify, address and pre-empt rights infringements and abuse in respect of older persons – by older people themselves, by civil society generally, by organisations working with vulnerable older people and their carers • Interactive Website Based on the Handbook, develop an Interactive Dedicated Website to promote awareness about the rights of older persons, identify best practice and develop a transnational dialogue on the matter. A link will be included on each partner organisation’s website to this new interactive website. • A synthesis report based on the Learning/Training Activity in each partner country and on outcomes from the transnational meetings • Engagement with relevant rights focused organisations at both EU (e.g. Age Platform Europe) and at individual country levels Outcomes At the end of the project the Trainees (staff and support personnel) in each organisation will be able to: -- Recognise fundamental rights issues in working with and for older people -- Recognise ways of addressing these infringements -- Promote an active citizenship and inter-generational solidarity approach when planning and services and supports for vulnerable older groups Impact At local level each partner organisation will acquire new insights into best practice relating to identifying and safeguarding the human rights of older people. Other organisations working with older persons in each partner country will be offered the opportunity to engage with the topic. At national level a debate will be promoted among statutory agencies and NGOs working with older people. At international level an EU-wide policy discourse will be promoted through the interactive website developed on the basis of reflected project experience. Measuring Impact The project will be evaluated on an ongoing basis, ideally by an independent evaluator if funding is available for the latter and a report will be compiled. This evaluation will put in place a number of action points and indicators by which impact will be measured, including, in particular, Evaluation by participants in each of the 3-day short-term staff training events – a template questionnaire will be developed for this purpose Reflection and analysis by the four partners under a series of bench-marking headings around perceptions before, during and after the project
The overall aim of the Project was to develop through learning and exchange of practice how an active citizenship and inter-generational response to protecting the human and legal rights of older persons in the participating countries can be advanced. The Project had the following objectives: 1) Promote dialogue and awareness among older persons, older persons’ organisations, families and civil society generally about older persons’ human and legal rights; 2) Empower through dialogue older people to understand existing human rights protections that derive from EU law and from International Conventions; 3) Create a platform for older persons to articulate their experiences and perspectives in respect of how their rights may be infringed; 4) Develop participatory inter-generational workshops to explore how the legal and human rights of older persons can be better protected; 5) Identify innovative policies and practices across European countries relating to implementing older persons’ human and legal rights; 6) Contribute to the development of an International UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Discussions in 2017 and 2018 in between three of the partner organisations (Sage Advocacy/Ireland, BAGSO/Germany and Tulip Foundation/Bulgaria) highlighted the fact that, despite the emergence of a strong human rights discourse generally, it was likely that ‘old people’ are often thought of as a burden (especially those who need high levels of support), with relatively little attention being given to the fact that older age-groups have exactly the same human rights as other population categories – the right to social inclusion, the right to liberty, the right to autonomy and self-determination and the right to have their will and preferences respected. It was agreed that this was a matter that required greater attention in individual countries and across the EU generally. This led to a decision being taken by the three organisations to work collaboratively to address this issue and to explore the possibility of getting Erasmus+ Exchange of Practice Project funding for this purpose. (BAGSO was already familiar with this Erasmus funding stream). It was agreed that Sage Advocacy would be the lead organisation and would instigate the application process. Another organisation (Pro Senectute/Austria) was subsequently invited to participate and became the fourth partner organisation in the Project. Each of the partner organisations has a significant involvement with older people in terms of both supporting them and helping them to assert their human rights.