During the summer months of 2024 elderly users around three European countries are taking part in the pilot training programme on digital and media literacy developed by the Information Matters experts team. Over 300 people aged 55+ are offered the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge towards the practical application of electronic devices and apps in support of their daily activities, such as online searching and communication, travel booking, e-banking, but also more broader and complex topics such as digital well-bing, online citizen participation, or fake news recognition.
In the scope of the IM project 10 main educational modules were developed outlining the content to be covered by the adult trainers. These topics were also transformed into 10 video tutorials adapted to serve the needs of elderly users and published online to be easily available to broad audience in 4 different languages (Austrian, Bulgarian, English and Romanian). They could be reached either the project’s website or directly in the platform Youtube.
In Austria
For the purpose of the adult training, the Austrian partner BEST nominated 20 training experts out of 40 who were involved in the Information Matters online train-the-trainer programme earlier this year. Throughout the summertime these training experts are delivering online courses to 100 elderly people from Vienna.
We spoke with two of the Austrian trainers of elderly people for feedback about the Information Matters learning experience and why they think the learning contents will have a positive impact on elderly people as the final beneficiaries.
Here is what they say:
We have observed that digital and media literacy of seniors and existing gaps for their full participation in virtual environments have been a major topic for Austrian media and senior citizens’ representatives and associations in the past months. Therefore, we find the approach and the contents of the project very suitable to support elderly people in taking full advantage of the benefits digitalization provides for society at large and everyday life of individuals, also regarding potential threats.
– A. P.
Another focus lies in our opinion on raising the interest in lifelong learning. Seniors often consider themselves not able to cope with digitalization, especially those who have not yet had much experience with it, neither in their private nor in their professional life. In addition, there are often concerns that they might do something “incorrectly”.
Our challenge working with seniors in this context is therefore in many cases also to support them in changing their mindset, from a “negative” to a “positive” attitude towards the topic digitalization at large, and towards improving individual digital skills and competences. The online training materials provided by the Information Matters project very comprehensive, accessible and practicable for this purpose and have been appreciated by senior learners so far.
– G.B.
In Bulgaria
The training of elderly people is being implemented simultaneously in 20 different locations around the country, taking place at the welcoming spaces of the local libraries – from that of bigger city libraries to those of the tiny community centres. The trainers involved in the process are librarians selected within the broad library network of the Bulgarian partner GLBF, all of whom were certified to train adults on media and digital literacy in the pilot IM online course for trainers in the spring of 2024 under the mentorship of the prominent local digital entrepreneur and adult trainer Justine Toms.
Providing educational sessions for seniors on their turn, these library professionals are strongly dedicated to involve the vulnerable seniors within their library community thus backing them in the ongoing digital transition. Most of the trainees interested in the educational course are over 65 years old and to be more useful for them the learning meetings are planned to be exclusively in person, allowing an open and friendly atmosphere. With that purpose in mind, the experienced trainers approach the elderly people in a non-formal way, leaving space for free discussion, sharing of experience and games-based learning, combining humour with practical tasks and encouraging group sessions.
In response, the participants are willing to continue their gradual climbing, step by step, to the new field of knowledge and skills within the digital and media realm. What is more, the elderly trainees build confidence in handling the digital field on their own. And the results of the formal tests measuring the exit level competences of the elderly trainees come to support those facts.
The word of mouth spreads around the community bringing other curious seniors coming to check the learning sessions. Sometimes they even bring to the sessions their younger comrades or grandchildren who seem to be as eager to take part and exchange. Seems like lately our trainees are chatting more on the topic of fake news than the regular news programmes.
In Romania
In Romania the training courses are split in both Oradea and Bucharest, where the training centres of the Romanian partner CREFOP are situated. Adult educators from the CREFOP network are conducting both online and in-person interactive training sessions for the elderly participants from the two areas. In partnership with the National Association of Librarians and Public Libraries of Romania (ANBPR) 30 librarians from Romania were as well engaged to take part and be trained as adult educators on media and digital literacy.
Early in August a special online session was held for the trainers in Romania, on which the digital security expert Marius George SINCA offered a comprehensive presentation of the IM educational modules, answering questions and clarifying the technical aspects raised by the participants. Effective strategies to make information more accessible to seniors were also discussed, preparing trainers to fulfill their role successfully. Furthermore, Flaviu Porojan presented key details about the program’s progress, the objectives of the project and the next steps, emphasizing the importance of the active involvement of the trainers in achieving the project’s objectives. The atmosphere of the meeting was energetic and collaborative, with the participants motivated to apply the new knowledge in their communities, thus contributing to the growth of digital and media literacy.
Currently ongoing training sessions with seniors are held at the Multifunctional Social Center Iosia II in Oradea and participants are constantly showing great interest in the topics discussed, actively engaging in conversations and eager to learn more about navigating the digital world safely.
Wrapping-up
The trainings with elderly people will be completed in all three countries shortly in the beginning of September, followed by a wrap-up on the success and challenges, which will be undertaken by the Belgian partner EAVI and presented in a case study form at the online conference designed to close the Information Matters project. The event is targeted at broad European audiences – from trainers, to researchers and policy-makers, and is scheduled for 26 September 2024.