More information
Description
The project is addressed to people aged 60+ from the Ostrowiec County in the Świętokrzyskie Province. It responds to the problem of long-standing neglect of senior citizens in the area of social participation. There is a lot of talk about civic participation, especially about Senior Clubs, but activities aimed directly at older people, involving them in making decisions that affect them, are rare. In 2021 we conducted a survey with 118 people aged 60+. 67% of respondents indicated that seniors were marginalized in society, and 83% noted that their willingness to engage in social and civic activities were unappreciated. 48% mentioned a progressive process of older people’s alienation from society. The aim of the project is to increase participation of 70-80 older people in social, public, cultural and political activities, which will support the development of civil society in the Ostrowiec County. We will develop educational materials on social participation and distribute them to seniors. We will conduct workshops. We will create a project’s fanpage, conduct a public debate and organise an integration and activation trip. By engaging participants in project activities, we will promote volunteering. The project will create a civic representation of seniors aware of the principles of social participation at the local level. Older people will be more appreciated in the society. Initiatives undertaken by the elderly will be regarded as more important. The project will also contribute to the development of civic attitudes of seniors in the Ostrowiec County.
Summary of project results
The main goal of the "Active Seniors 3.0" project. was to increase the participation in social, public, cultural and political life (fostering the development of civil society) of 80 seniors from the Ostrowiec district.
Before starting the project, research was carried out in the Ostrowiec district, which indicated the following problems and determined the challenges that had to be answered:
- the role of seniors was practically marginalized and they were treated as people unnecessary to society,
- the above state of affairs minimized the willingness of seniors to independently participate in a broadly understood public debate,
- processes of alienation from the local environment were also accelerated,
- there was a large gap in civic and social activity due to the lack of knowledge among seniors, which in turn minimized the level of civic awareness and aroused fear of public activity.
As part of the project, the ERWIN Association successfully implemented the following activities:
- the publication Educational and training guide containing issues in the field of social participation was published,
- workshops were conducted to provide the necessary knowledge in the above-mentioned area (legal basis, possibilities of political actions, etc.),
- a special project profile was implemented on Facebook,
- a public debate was organized with the participation of seniors, regional leaders and high school students,
- two activation and cultural trips were organized,
- participants were involved in various project activities.
The project''s products achieved as a result of its implementation are:
- 86 participants and direct participants
- 100 copies of the Educational and Training Guide Publication
- 160 hours of educational classes and workshops
- 8 information, recruitment and promotional meetings
- 1 Debate
- 9 Media materials
- 2 Media announcements
- 1 Poster promoting the project
- 1 Facebook profile
- 2 Activating and cultural trips
- 1st meeting/press conference summarizing the project.
The project achieved the expected results, in particular:
- there was real social activation of 86 project participants, which will influence the overall development of civil society and contribute to minimizing social differences and will increase activity and better involvement in matters relating to older people themselves,
- thanks to participation in the project activities, the participants understood that mutual integration strengthens the self-organization of the elderly community,
- according to the evaluation results, seniors assessed that their active participation in the local community (development of civil society, intergenerational cooperation) would have a supportive impact on participation and integration in the social and public life of the Ostrowiec district. We can mention here the increase in activity in terms of attempts to undertake initiatives such as preparing projects for the participatory budget. Our participants, thanks to their activity during the workshops, tried to understand the rules and write projects for the above-mentioned civic budget and for competitions as part of small public tasks.
Also during activating and cultural trips, participants were very active, established contacts with each other, asked many questions while visiting the museum, took photos, discussed history, art, music, etc.
Moreover, we encouraged the project participants to contact, build new relationships, constantly learn, take up new challenges, participate in social life, in the process of creating a positive reality, which will certainly enrich their lives and give a new meaning and dimension.