With “Digitaler KulturLernRaum,” we sought to address the challenges posed by the digital divide and the lack of digital participation among older adults. The goal was to use innovative cultural and educational formats to facilitate positive experiences with digital technologies, break down barriers, and strengthen digital skills. The focus was on developing and implementing eight live online formats that combine cultural experiences with digital learning. These were designed to be accessible, location-independent, and motivating in order to reach the target group. Participants were intended to experience digital technology as something fun and to become more confident with digital technologies. A key objective was transnational exchange between Austria and Germany to understand different needs and to combine and further develop the respective strengths of the partners. We sought to achieve sustainable results and lay the groundwork for potential European expansion: developing a practical guide for organizations in adult education and senior citizen services, fostering intensive exchange with stakeholders in digitalization, culture, and adult education, and gaining new insights into how to effectively engage the target audience.
We applied for the “Digitaler KulturLernRaum” project because we see a clear need for low-barrier access to digital education for older adults who lack digital confidence. Many of these individuals are excluded from digital participation, often due to little knowledge or a lack of available programs. At the same time, digital skills are essential for social participation and lifelong learning. The project addressed these needs by using digital cultural education formats as a motivating gateway to the digital world. Culture served as a bridge into the digital world, helping to break down barriers and foster intrinsic motivation to engage with the digital space. The goal was to enable positive digital experiences through participatory online formats developed in collaboration with the target group, to strengthen digital skills and participation, and to open up new educational spaces. With our project, we aimed to support the digital transformation and reach the older, and in some cases less mobile, target group. The goal was to develop sustainable and innovative approaches to promoting digital participation among older adults in collaboration with the organisation nowa from Austria.