Mileage

Context

Regardless of age, all Europeans need digital skills to study, work, communicate, access online public services and find trustworthy information. However, senior citizens are marginalised due to their digital illiteracy. According to the AGE-WELL FOUNDATION SURVEY, approximately 85.8 percent of the elderly respondents were digitally illiterate (76.5 percent men and 95 percent women). The study also pointed out that digitally illiterate senior citizens were keen to learn despite their age. 

Aim of the project

The project tackles the digital divide age can cause, and addresses the urgent need for senior citizens to develop digital skills to increase their participation in civic and cultural EU life. By adding a digital perspective to the procedure of ‘active ageing’, the project also provides seniors with the essential skills to respond to the 21st century’s features and demands, helping them become more independent and autonomous. 

The present partnership aims to create a new and more engaging way to foster senior citizens’ digital skills and media and Information literacy – MIL. Senior citizens may confidently use ICT tools in every aspect of their life (e-government, social media, music and video in streaming…) while defending themselves from ‘virtual dangers’ (fake news, online scams, ‘fishing’). The activities proposed are practical and use games, simulations and interactive materials to offer a safe environment to learn new skills, increase their abilities and fortify their competencies. 

Impact

By participating in the proposed learning program seniors are expected to 

• Improve their hard skills (which include ICT literacy and active learning), cognitive abilities (creativity and mathematical reasoning) and process skills (problem-solving and critical thinking) 
• Decrease the possibility of being scammed or tricked and decrease overall exposure to virtual dangers 
• Enhance their ability to take full advantage of online media and largely available ICT tools
• Increase their ability to recognise misleading or outright false information. 

Results 

• (ANALYSIS): booklet on the dangers and risks associated with main social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, but also email, IM apps…) and other similar tools largely used nowadays, with a special focus on seniors.  
• (EMPOWERING) interactive materials that will simulate the most recurrent “dangerous scenarios” seniors (and any citizens, to be more precise) are exposed to while using media and navigating the internet. 
• (LEARNING) micro-lesson aimed at showing how those ‘dangers’ have been created, by whom, why, and for what purpose, to foster participants’ ability to get a better grasp of the complexity of our society and be able to recognise them in the future. 
• (COOPERATION) HANDBOOK offers knowledge and skills to professionals, social workers, senior citizens, counsellors, adult educators,  trainers, NGOs, civil society organisations, third age universities and second chance schools.

Project’s information 

• Duration  24 months, 01/02/2022 to 31/01/2025 
• ID 2021-1-FR01-KA220-ADU-000033422