In January 2016, after a three month pilot phase, the Danube-Networkers started the project „Tastes of Danube.Bread.Wine.Herbs“, which welcomes civil society organizations active in the areas of education, culture, social and environmental fields, higher education colleges and schools to join the project. Right now, 11 countries of the Danube Region participate.

On July 8th, 2016, a Conference to the topic Tastes of Danube – Let’s Taste it will take place in Ulm, Germany. Representatives of different partner groups will meet in the framework of the 10th International Danube Festival 2016 and present their interim results of the project Tastes of Danube. The conference program will include a number of plenary lectures, which will provide scientific background as well as practical approach to the main themes in transnational comparison. Different methodical approaches will be presented. Potential future projects in the areas of lifelong learning, cultural education, sustainable tourism, social entrepreneurship and other subjects will be discussed in working groups.

More about the project on: http://tastes-of-danube.eu/project/

If the project 80+ did not exist, we should invent it

Rome, October 2015

Dušana Findeisen, Slovenian Third Age Universit, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Valuing and valorising the knowledge and skills of people 80+ is one of the best projects I have come across in the last years. I owe it to my friendship with Sergio Andreis, an Italian researcher.

The number of those who are older than eighty is getting higher. In studies, policies, public awareness the image of older people easily gets split into two parts. The first part or group of older people are those under the age of seventy. They are given credit of being able to contribute to community. They are expected to be baby sitting, volunteering, less often being employed, having a paid job. They are considered as a social resource, those who can make us a present of their time, money, even knowledge.

On the other hand, there are those over 80 years of age, who are being considered as passive, needing help and entertainment. Moreover, those who are older than 80 are rarely a topic of research studies and general public gets aware of their social existence only when they are members of civil societies. They are active in societies because they want to keep themselves healthy, physically and mentally healthy, they want to be autonomous and integrated. To be recognized, to be useful is a source of satisfaction for anybody notwithstanding their age. When people over 80 are expected to be active, there are positive cognitive effects.

The authors of the project 80+ have tackled a real and urgent social issue. They are preparing a handbook for those who work with people at advanced age. (Reference: Sergio Andreis in a private letter to Dušana Findeisen the author of this article). More: http://www.act-80plus.eu

25 years of continual senior education

Jasna Čurin, Head of the U3A Zagreb, Croatia

The Public Open University Zagreb is an institution for lifelong learning, and for the past 25 years it has been the place of carrying out the University of the Third Age Program (further on U3A). The project was created in cooperation with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, and this relationship has been maintained to this day through various forms of cooperation. U3A is made out of a structured unity of various levels in educational and cultural programs of a wide specter of interests intended for older persons. This structured unity and the possibility of choosing the type and level of knowledge aimed to acquire gives this program a serious educational note. This does not mean that the programs are imitating the school system; on the contrary, senior programs should be open to freedom of choice, learning without strict rules and compulsion, and satisfying intrinsic learning motives of the learners. The U3A’s basic activity is education and it is connected to the social and healthcare aspect of the program. Learners can study foreign languages, improve their information technology skills, attend psychophysical health classes, design in creative workshops or choose something else from the rich and diverse culture program. Every year, U3A has around 1000 learners, the programs are paid for. In our line of work, we honor the open group principle and the equality of learners and mentors which enables the learners to include their own background knowledge into the programs. It is on their mere self-involvement that the broad specter of extracurricular activities is based.

(mehr …)

Dušana Findeisen, Slovenian Third Age Universit, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Upon the initiative of a retired professor of economics, currently a student of Slovenian U3A, was held at this university a symposium on silver economy. Devoted to network thinking about a topic which is seemingly new, the symposium was attended by participants from diverse backgrounds.

Silver economy is both a new and old topic in the focus of Slovenian Third Age University. Why? Due to ageing society, silver market is predicted to amount up to 5% of the GDP by 2060, so one should better understand what silver economy is all about.

(mehr …)

DANET-Board Meeting in Belgrade, April 22-23, 2016

Ana Zlibut, first vice president The Writers` League Timisoara Banat Branch

The members of the board of the Association “Danube-Networkers for Europe” (DANET) e.V. meet on April 22-23, in Belgrade at the Center for Studies in Cultural Development, director Marina Lukic-Cvetic. They brought reports about the work done for DANET in 2015/2016 and presented them. It was very pleasant to see that DANET is made known in different countries and the good reputation of the association.

Carmen Stadelhofer, president DANET, and the other members of the board talked about the project “Tastes of Danube: Bread, Wine and Herbs” and the importance of making interviews with experts and to include the science community in the project; about the Conference “Let`s taste it” in Ulm in 8 July 2016 , where will be workshops with different themes and about The Breakfast on the Danube Bridge: Sharing bread with your Danubian neighbours in 10 July from10.30-12:30.

After the successful Seminar in Bad Urach-the first Qualification Training aimed at strengthening the civil society and collaboration in the Danube region by capacity building, 8th-12th December 2014, the participants discussed about a new Seminar in Bad Urach, from 24-28.07.2017, where the topic can be about the involvement of citizens in the function of democracy in Europa.

The members of the board planned the General Assembly of DANET in 9^th of July 2016 in Ulm and they discussed about the future of DANET and its future activities.

There were two days in which the members of the board, leaded by their president, elaborated ideas, visions and planned activities. The next board meeting in person will be in July in Ulm.

1^st – 10^th July 2016
Ulm, Germany
International Danube Festival
The Danube Office Ulm / Neu-Ulm organizes every second year the International Danube Festival. The international cultural program offers a challenging mix of different artistic directions – like music, dance, literature and exhibitions. All the Danube countries present their cultural ambassadors.

This year during the festival week more side events and conferences will take place in Ulm as well. Concerning the international project “Tastes of Danube” and Danube-meetings  of Civil Society Organizations:

• 8th of July, a conference in the frame of the project Tastes of Danube: Bread.Wine.Herbs:http://tastes-of-danube.eu/

• 9th of July, meetings of the Danube-Networkers https://danube-networkers.eu/ and of the Working Group 3 of Danube Civil Society Forum http://dcsf.danubestrategy.eu/

• 10th of July, a public event organized together with the Donaubüro Ulm/Neu-Ulm

Link to the 10the Internationales Donaufest Ulm/Neu-Ulm: www.donaufest.de

14^th -16^th September 2016
Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
Ageing In Europe: Beyond The Work-Centered Life Course?
Conference coordinators: esa-midterm-aging2016@soz.uni-frankfurt.de
Research Network: www.ageing-in-europe.net
ESA: www.europeansociology.org

11^th -12^th October 2016
Osaka, Japan
International Conference of IAUTA
Asia Pacific international Conference of the U3A Asia Pacific Alliance)
Aoosiation Internationale des Universités du 3ième age (AIUTA)/International Association of Universities of the Third Age (IAUTA)

2^nd – 3^rd November 2016
Cvernovka, Slovakia
3rd Participation Day in the EUSDR

Save the Date and join the 3rd Danube Participation Day of the Danube Strategy on 2-3 November 2016 in the Cvernovka (Old spinning mill), Páričkova 18, 821 08 Bratislava, Slovakiahttp://www.danubestrategy.eu/event/3rd-participation-day-eusdr