beyond fifty five focused on supporting people through transitions - whether they were looking for work, retiring, managing complex life changes or feeling adrift in today's media landscape. By creating personal stories based on a variety of digital formats, participants were able to reflect on their past, engage with their present and envision a possible future. Sharing these stories fostered self-exploration, strengthened connections and inspired mutual growth. The aims of the project were > Encourage creativity and community engagement by producing content that inspires basic multimedia projects based on personal experience and teamwork. > Promote digital inclusion and communication by enabling participants to adapt to digital changes and ensure they remain socially connected. > Empower individuals and encourage active participation by providing a trusted environment for sharing within their groups and beyond. > Experience a slice of Europe by comparing the contrasts and similarities between a rural Swedish island and the urban landscape of the German capital.
"Creative thinking and action is an important aspect of change. It opens up new perspectives and possibilities for life change". Maria Otterbein, Kulturring Berlin beyond fifty five was born out of a long-term desire to develop adult education across the Kulturring institution and to have inspiring educational activities that could be done with the many people over fifty-five involved in cultural work, who have been hit hard by social isolation, threatened to be left behind in an ever-changing and accelerating digitalisation in recent years. We were delighted to find an adult education partner from the Swedish island of Öland - Ölands Folkhögskola - who were keen to work on ideas together. We are both motivated by social issues, cross-generational learning and by working with personal stories. It seemed appropriate to apply for a small European partnership - an intimate approach to have a concrete incentive and funding to help work on new ideas, to hear and learn from each other, and to work at the intersection of social interaction, digitality and creativity.