We All are Europe - AESAEC

II. Findings of the IANUS project and their relevance for the AESAEC
Educational Programme (Patrizia Giorio, FormAzione CO&SO Network, Firenze/IT)
The Grundtvig project IANUS – Standards for Intergenerational, Intercultural and IT-based Later
Learning (N°134057-LLP-1-2007-1-AT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP) has tried from 2007 to 2009 to identify and
analyse those factors which are likely to influence later learning activities throughout Europe in a
positive or negative way.
It is fact that at the European level the labour market crisis which has occurred in the few last years
has determined a revision and renewal of the Lisbon strategy to foster and support growth and job
creation by a range of structural reforms. In many countries there is limited public awareness of the
potential of older people and the necessity to increase their social activity and participation in national
life in order to improve their living conditions as rightful members of all EU countries as a
consequences themes such as Active Citizenship are becoming more and more important in our
countries.
Learning in later life is a relatively recent concept which is stipulated by European and national
bodies, pedagogues, experts in psychology and medicine, by vocational training institutes and nonprofit
organizations. However it is not well-known as a comprehensive approach in different public
spheres which targets at increasing the authority and the influence of older people and at the same
time diminishing existing stereotypes that the third age is generally characterised by poor health,
decreasing social activity and less interest in life.
That is why guidelines and training programmes with regard to EU educational policy are recommended
and are necessary to foster the dissemination of good practice examples. In order to further
develop the concept of later learning at the European level we report some key elements that
are important when later learners are the beneficiaries of training at different levels:
Bio-genetic and psychological factors:
- general accomplishment of human brain in connection with age
- life time of the human brain and brain re-growth
- memory and reproduction processes/interactive memory systems in the human brain
- physical and psychophysical problems
- emotional development
- gender aspects
Social psychological dimension:
- intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for learning at the age 50+
- internal and external learning barriers
- ability of later learners to view reality from a wider perspective as an effect of maturity
- establishing a psychological sense of community and a sense of “we”
- generate a social process of inclusion
20