In order to combat the digital divide, we wanted to combine the introduction to digital tools and the training of professionals and people working with the elderly with exchange activities and trans-generational transmission. More specifically, for older people, we wanted to combine an introduction to digital tools with the transmission of know-how, practices and experiences from older to younger people. So, on a subject of their choice, the elderly participants were invited during the project to share a skill or experience in the form of a written and/or audio digital book, co-created with a carer. The aim of these workshops was also to incorporate individual experiences and feelings into a collective memory, co-constructed with professionals and/or teenagers/young adults. For professionals and people working with the elderly, we wanted to offer them the opportunity to improve their digital skills and their ability to initiate activities in co-construction with the elderly.
A 2018 report by the French association Petits Frères des Pauvres highlights that more than a quarter of the over-60s are digitally excluded, especially the over-80s and the most precarious. According to Eurostat, in 2018, only 10% of the over-75s in the EU had connected to the Internet in the last three months. Lack of interest, rather than lack of skills, is the main barrier for over-60s who are not connected. There are also a number of barriers preventing seniors from accessing the benefits of digital tools, such as self-censorship, lack of confidence and mistrust. What's more, one of the most common feelings among older people is that of being 'obsolete' in a world that is constantly changing. And yet, by passing on their knowledge and exchanging ideas, seniors can once again become active players in their environment. By proposing a different way of entering the digital world, one that places exchange, sharing and discussion at the heart of the use of digital tools, we hope to show that digital technology can be a source of pleasure and social cohesion.