Overview of the project
Context
Most older people who are still in their healthy years fall outside the scope of social structures such that their “successful ageing” is related to their own ability to take care of themselves. Helping them to reinforce their skills is a challenge and a priority. A research-based course for older learners is thus an interesting solution, whose relevance is enhanced by the fact that the university context fits the level of studies reached by many young seniors nowadays, and it avoids the pitfalls of infantilization. The main goal of this program is to improve self-management of older people and preserve their active role in society by increasing their ageing-process knowledge.
To reach this goal, it is necessary to collect information that will make it possible to define the content and course methods suitable for these specific learners, prior to the development of the training programme. In line with a user centred approach, a prospective survey has been initiated by ULille. It provides promising results in terms of interest in the course, its acceptability and intention to enroll among the target.
Even though professionalisation is no longer a relevant objective for senior citizens, the 3AC course in the university context will offer old learners the opportunity to open their minds, help them strengthen their civic commitment as well as actively maintain their role and place in the society.
The ageing population is an international European issue and is becoming a challenge for a more inclusive society.
Active and healthy ageing is promoted by manu institution through various programmes such as "The decade of Healthy Ageing" by the World Health Organisation and "Partnership on Active and Heathy Ageing" by the EU.
To tackle the active ageing challenge, medical research and care have a decisive role to play, but the comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to people, as proposed by the 3AC project, is also crucial. Keeping senior citizens active contributes to improving their quality of life as well as their mental and physical well-being. It is not only a consequence of healthy ageing but also a contributing factor. Therefore, it is importnat for older citizens to continue to do things for themselves and/or for others. Their civic engagement (volunteer, political participation) or other forms of caring for their family members or for other people also have an important economic value.
Due to the heterogeneity of senior citizens, many schemes that aim to foster active ageing for a wide range of people may in fact have a limited impact. Addressing the needs of a large population at one time can be a weakness. Thus, to be more effective, many projects such as 3AC have had to develop a smaller, tailer-made scheme that targets specific groups of senior citizens.
Considering the above, the motivation for the 3AC project is to reinforce seniors' knowledge and induce them to adopt more preventive approach to ageing. 3AC can contribute to primary prevention, before the occurrence of limitations on activity, or to secondary prevention when the first limitations are detected. In parallel, senior learners attending the 3AC programme will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge through their involvement in NGOs, associations and/or political lige.
Another added-value of the university context is its intergenerational dimension that will give the older learners the opportunity to interact with typical learners, younger teachers and researchers as well as technical and administrative staff.
Targets
The primary target group who will benefit from the project’s results and impact are senior citizens of 55 and over who have completed their initial education and are no longer involved in vocational continuing education, but are still engaged, open-minded, active, curious and able to attend higher education courses.
EU inhabitants have a high life expectancy, and the number of Europeans aged over 65 will double in the next 50 years, and the number of those over 80 will almost triple.
With respect to the cut-off between robust, prefrail/trail and dependent people intervention is required in order to meet the challenge of the ageing population. 3AC focuses on the robust group, with the goal of helping them maintain their robustness. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should not neglect these people às they have become a majority, and most of them wish to maintain intellectual activities as well as play an active role in society. They also desire to have more control over their future; thus, they seek personnel and cultural development and need to continue acquiring new knowledge.
This target group is not part of the “Erasmus generation” because the programme started in 1987. Thus, while this population was in higher education they had very few opportunities for European exchanges, as promoted by this scheme. Nevertheless, this generation of senior citizens has travelled and is still travelling more than the previous one. Therefore, they are more open to the other EU countries and values; they fit the profile of the pilot course proposed by 3AC that involves four EU universities and their associated partners.
Another target group of 3AC are teachers and researchers, as well as technical and administrative staff of the four HEIs participating in the project. Indeed, the university personnel are not used to older learners, só this is an opportunity to learn how to teach, welcome and support older citizens among their regular students. In addition, the scientific research of the academic staff of the four HEIs in psychology, biology / life sciences and sociology, and their keen interest and solid expertise in the field of adult education and training (cultural promotion, participatory democracy, inclusion, and social action) are valuable assets for the project. However, they will have to adjust their teaching practices for the older learners. Consequently, the university community of the four participating institutions will also benefit from the project and all its experimentation phases.
Goals
- Increase participants' knowledge of the ageing-process.
- Improve self-management by older people.
- Help participants preserve their active role in society by allowing them to complete a programme in an intergenerational context.
Activities
The 3AC programme will produce 3 activities
- 3AC prospective survey
- 3AC pilot course
- 3AC conclusion report and dissemination
Consortium and European added value
This transnational cooperation between the four European universities and their associated partners from civil society will enrich 3AC by faciliting the exchange of knowledge and skills concerning the older public. It will promote research at this level. Not only will the academic and administrative staff of the four HEIs share their knowledge, but also the ecosystem of the project, e.g. the instituitions themselves, will have to adjust to their new learners and to the new teaching/learning approach brought in by the project.
Apart from the continuous exchange of methods and practises between the partners, specific events will be organised two or three times a year that will bring together other European partner HEIs already involved in the European University network named "The European University for Inclusiveness - InclusU". The participation of other universities in this network such as European University Viadrina in Francfort on Oder in Germany and Malmö University in Sweden will fuel the 3AC project with the experience from other countries. Futhermore, academic staff from the partner universities will undertake mobility to meet the older learners of other countries.
The prospective survey launched in the four countries as well as the pilot course will provide the consortium with significant knowledge about the preoccupations of older citizens regarding education in a multicultural context. They will help to build an analysis of the specificities of each partner but also highlight the points of convergence.
The transnational collaboration will optimise the interest of the 3AC for partners from civil society that can provide institutional and financial support for larger scale deployment. It will also contribute to the recognition of the training programme by different political and NGOs. The European dynamic will catalyse the project. Due to the context of geronto-growth that suggests critical deadlines in the near future, the deployment of 3AC in other European universities is necessary (prognosis of a "grey tsunami" in 2030). Thanks to its multicultural and transnational components, 3AC will put older learners in contact with the European Union values and identity.
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained here in.