Digital Danube
Start date: Jul 1, 2014,
End date: Jun 30, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
The Danube is the only large river in Europe running from West to East. Its 2857 km are an axis between Middle and Southeastern Europe adjoining 10 European countries. 115 million people are living in the countries along the Danube, countries united by millenniums of common history and great cultural wealth. In 2010, the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission initiated a mission to strengthen cooperation of the countries of the Danube Region in the areas of transport infrastructure, mobility, environment, socio-economical development and safety. In this context the statement „Lifelong learning programmes for older adults as a societal necessity in the Danube Region“ was made and signed by 60 institutions for cultural and adult education as well as other organisations from 9 Danube countries.
The long term aim of the partners involved in the "Digital Danube" Mobility is the fostering of social participation of older adults in the Danube Region in line with the Danube Strategy, through the implementation and development of targeted education programs and structures in the areas of learning in later life and digital literacy within the current lifelong learning landscapes. In this concept, education should promote the development of meaningful tasks of activity in the post-professional period.
Lifelong learning is one of the important areas of work at universities. Adult and seniors’ education is a crucial tool of modernisation of higher education as it brings institutions closer to real societal demands. If education is required by older citizens and society needs older citizens as effective contributors, universities have to adapt to this challenge and foster the important education area of digital literacy and the use of New Media by older adults. This is a way for them to strengthen the role of older citizens in society as a whole.
After carrying out the feasibility study on Older Adults’ Learning and ICT Use in the Danube Region, the Mobility project "Digital Danube" ist a subsequent step in the provision of a basis for future projects and for sustainable work on a structural level. The objective of the project is to improve the expertise of adult education organisations' staff in the Danube countries through the exchange of good practices and different methodological approaches in general continuing education for older adults amongst LLL providers and through the increase of knowledge about the local conditions. This expansion of method expertise and knowledge about local structures in the different Danube countries will be provided in three-day on-site courses given by the specific partner organisation. Each partner organisation will participate in these courses with staff persons who will be responsible for subsequent European Danube projects and can implement their knowledge gained in the courses in further projects. With three course activities the project plans to provide the participants with a wide knowledge of diverse methods and different local conditions.
One of the projects' results will be a Booklet produced as an outcome of the method courses, which will give an overview of methodological approaches and structures of LiLL and the use of ICT for fostering digital literacy and lifelong learning in the Danube Region.
The participants who will be involved in the activities are staff and persons active in training of older adults. All of them are researchers or trainers experienced in European projects and will be responsible for the realisation of future Danube projects.
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