From 19 – 24 July 2021 in Stiavnicke Bane, Slovakia was held the International Blended Mobilitiy for Seniors. On the meeting participated representatives of project partner organizations from Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

 

During the 5 – days long event, the participants presented their best practices in the field of elderly education.

 

The hosts presented their experiences in working with the elderly - they invited lecturers who conduct workshops in the field of new technologies for the elderly, such as computer courses or photography workshops. Eva Šestáková - president of the Kolping Family Sovička in Stiavnicke Bane conducted international computer workshops for participants. She presented also the results of the work of local senios with using the new technologies, for example chronicles, photobooks, website, social profile and online discussion group.

 

Kolping Slovakia presented the importance of ICT technologies in the social enterprise millhill s.r.o. – organisation  dealing with the design and production of electronic equipment using wood and other ecological materials, co-leaded by Kolping Slovakia.

 

Participants had the opportunity to see the process of creating wooden models, which they painted later, during art workshops. The organizers invited a visual artist – a painter Eva Linhartova-Bachrata, who supported the participants during their painting work, and an academic lecturer and professor Bohumír Bachraty, who described  the importance of painting symbols in art, giving the event a sublime character.

 

Another interesting topic raised during the meeting was the lecture and discussion with psychologist Maria Štetinova.  Based on her work at the Center for Clinical Psychology,  Maria presented the topic "Psychological changes and needs of the elderly people". The participants asked questions, joined the discussion and together developed examples of activities for the elderly aimed at reducing their sense of loneliness, including them in social life and supporting the good psycho-physical condition of the elderly.

 

The chairwoman of the Kolping Society in Slovakia, Alžbeta Danielová, who is a teacher by education,  in this role is involved in the activities of the Koling Society. She shared her experiences and presented activities developed for seniors based on digital technology.

 

The participants spent Friday morning by learning national dances. With the support of the dance master Karol Zaťko, the seniors practised czardas and polonaise.  The exercise promoted physical activity among seniors and highlighted the beauty of cultural diversity in Europe. Selected dances turned out to be within the reach of the physical condition of the elderly, who mastered the basic dance steps without much difficulty.

 

On the last day of the workshops was held the final program with the participation of invited local authorities and representatives of the local community.  The seniors presented results of their work and activities jointly developed during the week. There was a tasting of jointly prepared dishes, a show of folk songs and dances, an exhibition of paintings prepared by seniors and an evaluation of the meeting with emphasis on the most interesting workshop elements.

 

 

The entire week-long meeting was held in an intercultural spirit, the accompanying persons  of individual national groups provided support in translating lectures and discussions into national languages. Seniors also tried to talk directly and established personal contacts,  discovering how much connects the Slavs from southern and central-eastern Europe.

 

Blended Mobility  was carried out under the project "Active citizenship by making lifelong learning among seniors a reality" financed by the European Union under the Erasmus + Programe.