Our elders also want to learn

Some of the learning skills most in demand by our elders today are related to new technologies, a trend that has been encouraged as a consequence of the pandemic we have experienced over the last two years.

Learning how to make video calls, shop online or become fluent in social media, to stay in touch with the world around them and their loved ones in a more direct way than they could before, are some of the new needs that older people are experiencing more frequently.

This is the idea inspiring GANYMED, a European project in which several countries, including Germany, Italy and Spain, are working on the creation of an online platform that focuses on education adapted to the elderly in the field of communication and digital media. Through this tool, teachers are expected to acquire geragogical skills and adapt their teaching methods to the elderly. 

Based on data from the barometer of the “Unión Democrática de Pensionistas y Jubilados de España (UDP)”, in 2021 6 out of 10 older people will use the internet frequently, while in 2019 only 4 out of 10 did so. With data like this increasing across Europe, it is not surprising that the new European Union funds have dedicated part of their objectives to encourage and promote active ageing with programmes and projects such as GANYMED.

This Thursday the project partners will hold their first face-to-face project meeting in Yecla at CETEM facilities. During the first months of work, the participating partners have analysed the current training offer in Europe on digital skills for the elderly. This first meeting will serve to exchange experiences and continue working on the development of the project. The ultimate goal is to improve this type of training taking into account the teachers and the students themselves in order to ensure that the population over 70 is trained in digital skills so that no one is left behind.

The meeting will be attended by representatives of the five organisations collaborating in this European Erasmus+ initiative: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe University of Education; both from Germany, Centro Internazionale per la Promozione dell’Educazione e lo Sviluppo; from Italy, Inercia Digital and CETEM; from Spain.