About Us
The Project
The Erasmus+ project “Seniors Perceive A Common Europe” wants to equip adult education providers and trainers with resources on how to develop a common European identity, key competences, sustainable thinking, awareness of cultural heritage in senior citizens by making use of their true-to-life experiences and cultural heritage knowledge. It also wants to empower seniors through non-formal learning opportunities and participating in European exchanges enabling them to gain more key competences and new insights as regards European identity.
Outputs
Handbook on SPACE Life Skills
The handbook on SPACE life skills provides adult education institutions and trainers with innovative and ready-to-use materials on how to develop key competences, sustainable thinking and awareness of cultural heritage among senior citizens.
In the first chapter, European frameworks and life skills for seniors in Europe are presented, followed by thematic learning frameworks for each topic: 1) nutrition, 2) health, 3) housekeeping, 4) self-determined consumer behaviour, 5) environmental behaviour. The third chapter presents different best practices from all participating European countries (and beyond). Additionally, the fourth chapter provides inspiration for implementation ideas for working on each of those specific topics with senior citizens.
The handbook will be available in 6 languages (BG, DE, EN, ES, IT, SE) and provides a theoretical basis for following activities in the SPACE project.
Empowerment Courses on SPACE Life Skills
The materials on the empowerment courses provide adult education institutions with course curricula for blended learning activities for senior citizens to make use of their true-to-life experiences and cultural heritage knowledge on nutrition, health, housekeeping, self-determined consumer behaviour and environmental behaviour.
The empowerment courses reflect the same topics as mentioned in the handbook, those are: 1) nutrition, 2) health, 3) housekeeping, 4) self-determined consumer behaviour, 5) environmental behaviour. For each topic there will be a course curriculum as well as self-assessment questionnaires that senior citizens can use to assess their knowledge and skills based on competence frameworks, additionally, informative presentations are available.
To practically apply the materials within the empowerment courses, several workshops for each of the above-mentioned topics are carried out in partner countries, where trainers and seniors meet to practically explore the themes and defining how each of the topics can be linked to regional traditions and European identity
Digital Exhibitions on SPACE Life Skills in Europe
A digital platform provides Open Educational Resources with a collection of digital media tools (e.g. in the form of videos) on stories and experiences of senior citizens in the field of nutrition, health, housekeeping, self-determined consumer behaviour and environmental behaviour.
The platform will present the results from the empowerment workshops carried out in all project countries. This means that it will contain four digital exhibits per country, totalling to 20 thematic exhibits for each of the above-mentioned topics.
The 100 exhibits are translated in six different languages (BG, DE, EN, ES, IT, SE) and it will be possible to apply certain searching filters to make it easier for users to find the intended content when browsing the platform.
Digital Trails on SPACE Life Skills in Europe
Senior citizens in Europe are empowered by receiving non-formal learning opportunities in terms of European exchanges to share their life skills and work on a common European identity by means of the European ideas of inclusive, digital, cost-effective, green and sustainable participation.
Every partner country organises a two-day European exchange with two senior participants from the project countries. These European exchanges offer the possibility to present the digital exhibitions on each of the topics (1) nutrition, 2) health, 3) housekeeping, 4) self-determined consumer behaviour, 5) environmental behaviour) and collect real-life experiences on European identity by experiencing the city that hosts the exchange.
The experiences from the European exchanges as well as the exhibits created during the empowerment courses will be collected in the form of digital trails. Those five regional trails on all life skills in Europe will be accessible digitally and with QR codes.
Project Partners
INFODEF
INFODEF, Institute for the Promotion of Development and Training, is a private and independent research, development and innovation center whose mission is to design and carry out projects that contribute to achieving sustainable and inclusive development through education, culture and innovation. The center designs and develops innovative tools, methodologies, products and services that respond to current social and economic challenges and enable the anticipation and promotion of the changes necessary to achieve the future goals and objectives of society.
INFODEF supports the modernization of educational systems and pedagogical innovation in public and private educational institutions at national and European level. One of the main areas of expertise of INFODEF is the design of innovative methodologies and instruments tu support the work of professionals involved with specific target groups, such as young people, migrants, low-skilled adults, people with disabilities, prisoners and other disadvantaged groups.
Volkshochschule im Landkreis Cham e.V.
VHS Cham is a registered, non-profit association in Bavaria, Germany, acting on regional level. Its main mission is to ensure equal participation of all citizens in social life by providing adult education offers that are accessible for everyone.
In total, VHS Cham e.V. conducts yearly more than 1250 learning events for more than 15 000 participants and has also extensive experience in coordinating and implementing international projects
Business Foundation for Education
BFE is a leader in lifelong learning and career guidance in Bulgaria. The NGO has coordinated and participated to more than 60 EU projects focused on innovative training methodologies and digital tools that promote citizens’ skills development, employability, inclusiveness, resilience and fulfilment.
EduVitai
EduVita is an educational, cultural and intergenerational centre in the heart of Lecce, Southern Italy, founded in 2019.
We create learning opportunities to improve the quality of life of elderly and young people through intergenerational dialogue. We focus on pedagogical research, innovating teaching and learning processes, designing learning settings and developing new methodologies based on Adult Education and Intergenerational learning approaches.
Elderberry
Elderberry AB undertakes curriculum development and strategic studies, authoring, testing, editing and publishing within school, youth, adult, teacher and VET education, often with socio-cultural and urban implications. We are experienced with traditional methods for educational material as with eLearning and eCulture.
We have held EU in-service teacher training courses for over 10 years, specialising in the use of museums and heritage sites, eLearning and urban studies where a problem based approach is developed. Over 1000 teachers have participated in the one week courses held in Stockholm, Istanbul, Florence, Lisbon, Coventry, Lesvos and Santorini www.eucourses.eu The courses were amongst the most successful in the Lifelong Learning Programme and are proving just as popular under the Erasmus+ programme.
