In recent years we have observed an increase in the number of "Young seniors", active people who want to learn to keep up with technological changes, and at the same time do not want to be only passive participants of the educational forms offereded to them. They also want to initiate, participate in decision making and implementation of projects. They want to share knowledge and experience. The project "Seniors in education" is an offer for such people. It was established in partnership with three organisations conducting educational classes for seniors: the PCKK Foundation for Education and Development from Jelenia Góra, the Vzdelavaci Institut Stredoceskeho Kraje and Kauno Trečiojo Amžiaus Universitetas. The aim of the project is to increase the educational and social activity of seniors in local environments by creating opportunities to use their potential, knowledge and experience. Specific objectives: 1. Increase of the organising knowledge and skills in the application of the Study Circle method 2. Increasing the knowledge of seniors about the possibilities of participating in lifelong learning in the local environment and in partner countries 3. Getting to know interesting forms and methods of work in senior groups in partner organisations The first stage of the project will be the gathering by the project participants (seniors) of information on the possibilities of participating in lifelong learning of people of retirement age in local partner environments. A report will be created containing the following information: - What institutions run activities for seniors in the area, as well as the forms and types of activities? - How do seniors share their knowledge and experience? - What forms of classes, thematic areas are the most popular in the environment. The next stage of the project will be joint international workshops for seniors held as part of Blended Mobility for adult learners. Three meetings of seniors (one for each partner) will be a very effective method of their activation. During the workshops for seniors carried out during Blended Mobility, each host organisation will use its experience to organise classes. Participants of these meetings, learning about different working methods, will be able to decide what they liked the most and what could be adapted in their home organisation. One of the tasks that will be assigned to seniors participating in Blended Mobility will be to provide information to other seniors about the activities and work methods of partner organisations. As part of the exchange of experience, one meeting of trainers of organisations participating in the project is also planned - Short-term joint staff training events. The purpose of this meeting will be the analysis of the Study Circle method and preparation of the staff for testing this method of work in partner organisations. Analysis of the existing methods of working with seniors and the organisational capabilities of partners will allow to plan how to introduce this method to the educational activities of the organisations participating in the project. Thanks to the international and local activities planned in the project, we will achieve an increase in the organisation's knowledge and skills in applying the Study Circle method, and increase in the knowledge of seniors about the possibilities of participating in lifelong learning in the local environment and in partner countries. Participants and staff will learn about interesting forms and methods of working in senior groups in partner organisations and will propose ways to implement selected methods in their organisations.
The goal of the project was to increase the educational and social activity of seniors in local communities by creating opportunities to use their potential, knowledge and experience. Activities in the project were focused around specific objectives: 1. to increase the knowledge and skills of participating organizations in the application of the Study Circle method. 2. to increase the knowledge of seniors about opportunities to participate in lifelong learning in the local environment and in partner countries 3. familiarization with interesting forms and methods of work in senior groups in partner organizations The project activities included two groups of beneficiaries: 1. seniors-participants in the activities of partner organizations: listeners of Kaunas University of the Third Age, members of the Senior Competence Center operating at the PCKK Foundation, and seniors participating in VISK educational activities. 2. trainers working with seniors in these organizations
In adult education, the education of seniors is taking an increasing share. This is a growing group of people participating in continuing education. They participate in educational activities out of an intrinsic desire to stay active, to learn what they did not have the opportunity to learn at a younger age, to adapt to a rapidly changing world. The people who are now entering retirement age are significantly different from their peers of previous decades. They are more active, better educated, and a significant proportion of them care about a healthy lifestyle. They do not want to be mere passive participants in the forms of education offered to them. They also want to initiate, participate in decision-making and project implementation. They want to share their knowledge and experience. Therefore, the educational offer aimed at today's seniors must be constantly updated and adapted to their needs. The trainers of the PCKK Foundation, together with the trainers of the University of the Third Age from Kaunas and the Educational Institute from the Czech Republic, decided to pilot classes based on the Study Circles method in order to test the possibility of using this method in preparing new interesting educational offers for seniors