International Workshop “Education and Voluntary Work in the Third Age” in Ruse

How can education in old age help to empower and promote the commitment of older people? In the international workshop “Education and Voluntary Work in the Third Age” which took place from 9th to 11th of May in Ruse, Bulgaria, 55 representatives from various civil society organizations from Bulgaria, Romania and Germany discussed the current challenges in senior education and the promotion of societal engagement of elderly. The participants shared their experiences, got to know practical examples from the different countries and developed ideas for the further transnational cooperation. It should be further promoted by help of the international informal educational network of the “Danube-Networkers for Europe (DANET) e.V.”. In working groups, participants discussed about senior education, internet, voluntary work and transnational cooperation and then presented their results in the plenary.

Through an interesting side program, the participants got a direct insight into the living environment of elderly in Bulgaria. At the end of the workshop, participants expressed the desire to learn more about each other and to continue the transnational work – in the spirit of a peaceful and united Europe.
The workshop was organized by the “Institute for virtual and face-to-face learning in adult education at the Ulm University (ILEU) e.V.”, Ulm, Germany, in close cooperation with the “German National Association of Senior Citizens’ Organisations (BAGSO)”, Bonn, Germany, and the University “Angel Kanchev” in Ruse, Bulgaria. The event was sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in Germany.

Click HERE to see the results of the workshop.