Integration of senior Europeans through fostering of family traditions

Researches show senior people are the most vulnerable generation and are driven more and more into loneliness and social exclusion. There is a clear need of new educational methods to prevent this discrimination, so that all generations in our society can live together in justice, solidarity and respect for one another.

The Project “ Integration of senior Europeans through fostering of family traditions ” seeks to develop innovative teaching and learning material on integration of senior people into family life and promoting the inter-generational co-operation.

In order to reach this objective we have started to develop “ DIALOGIC LITERARY GATHERINGS ” with senior people

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROJEC: WHAT IS a “dialogic literary gatherings” The dialogic literature gatherings methodology is founded specially on the dialogic learning, as is through the egalitarian dialogue how the participant persons reflect on the contents of a certain literary work. The dialogue becomes a generator of learning, and the contributions of all participants and all serve to enrich the debate.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROJEC Literary works on which we make the discussion are the classical universal that can fit to all the different ages and backgrounds of the participants. We meet ones a month and we develop a literary critic about a book we have been reading by our self in the previous month.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROJEC During the gathering we discus about the different impressions and feelings caused by the reading of the books, sharing our ideas, the parts we have liked more and reading some pages that we want to analyze.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROJEC By this gathering we want to develop a training for senior people, especially the ones that come from a disadvantaged background and haven`t had the chance to discover the pleasure of the literature and of sharing emotions, comments and ideas about a book. The literary circles are aimed especially at adults who have had no formal training, and through reading, improve their cultural knowledge.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROJEC TARGET GROUP The group is heterogeneous and intergenerational, we will involve senior people as well as volunteer people with high-level qualifications (ex teachers or directors of schools), people that still represent the workforce of the country, unemployed adults, migrant and ethnic minorities, and children from 10 till 18 years.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROJEC TARGET GROUP This selection of participants allows us to promote the intergenerational learning and exploit the knowledge, skills and competence of older people for the benefit of society as a whole. Through this gatherings we empower older people to stay in good physical and mental health and contribute more actively to the life of their communities. At the same time we promote mutual understanding between the generations.

SPECIFICS OBJECTIVES By this GATHERINGS the participants can:  Acquire basic literacy skills, those who have never had the opportunity to live this experience;  Develop further of key competences, especially about communication, social, civil and learning to learn competences;  Upskillin and reskilling they competences, those who have been working in this field and can share their experience and knowledge;

SPECIFICS OBJECTIVES  Young participant can learn from the stories of the senior people and they can fell useful, we know that senior people can offer the younger generations the knowledge, experience and wisdom that they have acquired throughout their lives;  Promote a sense of history, tradition and cultural roots;  Increase lifelong learning opportunities

SPECIFICS OBJECTIVES  Learned family traditions (as story telling)on inter-generational cooperation;  Encouraged active participation in co- operation between families and schools in terms of inter-generational school- based and out-of-school activities ;  Discussed and analyzed problems of common interest with colleagues from other backgrounds, found advanced solutions.

WHERE we will develop it: The dialogic literary gatherings can be developed in different types of organizations including schools, adult education, parent`s associations, women’s groups, cultural and educational institutions. We have started a collaboration with a school of a village close to Granada and two libraries.

SPANISH EXPERIENCE The dialogic literary gatherings are a national and international recognized experience. In the whole Spanish State there are 54 gatherings that work with certain continuity, being Catalonia and the Basque Country the Autonomic Communities with a larger number of gatherings.

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION;-)