Project Danube-Networkers:
Resolution from the final session of the Seminar "Heimatland-Donauland" (Home country - Danube country) on the 11.7.08

In the frame of the seminar "Home country - Danube country" 30 representatives from continuing education institutions from 10 countries along the Danube have met for a week of joint work and exchange.
We call us the Danube-Networkers.

We have determined the following:

Our societies are due to demographic change getting older, but untill present day we are not prepared for these developments. In many of the countries along the Danube there are no structures for seniors' educations.
In our countries older people are mainly those who support the family and take care of the grandchildren. Older people's abilities and experiences are not considered, their learning is not supported by special programs.
We are impressed with the structures, programs and methods for work with older people in Germany, especially here in Ulm.

We have had very little experience with work in partnerships, especially across the borders, we have deficit on information about current developments in (continuing) education, and so there is also a deficit on innovation.

We know, that a negative image of older people exists in many countries, in foreground the weaknesses and the illnesses of the older people, not their strengths, their abilitie and experiences. We also know, that there are in our countries many prejudices and stereotypisation about the other Danube countries and their people. We would like to contribute to a change of this image of older people, and that the people in our countries get to know each other better and meet each other without prejudices.

We have many common subjects that concern us, not only aging, buit also political, social, cultural and environmental ones. We would like to contribute to the solution of urgent social problems and to a better mutual understanding in Europe and for Europe.

Our group "Danube-Networkers" has language problems as we speak many different languages and many seniors do not speak German or English, this does not make understanding easier. But there are some amongst us, who through their family background speak several South European languages, and here in Ulm there are also people, who come from the Danube countries, speak our languages and have been so kind to support us by interpreting and translating. This is a good basis for our work.

Many organisations have Internet facilities, but in many countries there is no experience with introducing the uses of the Internet to older people.

We aim at improving the continuing education possibilities for older people in the Danube countries and at fostering better application of the older people's competences in social life, especially in exchange with younger people. It is important in this context that older people help the younger ones to find their own way.

Together with institutions of continuing education, schools and other partners, we want to work actively on the development of a learning and completence network for old and young along the Danube. This meeting in Ulm in the frame of the Danube Festival 2008 should mark the start of long-term cooperation and be the first step towards the development of the network.

Education for older people is an important factor in participation of older people in our societies that find themselves in a state of strong change. We want to wake in our countries the interest in lifelong learning and in civic engagement. We see internationalisation along the Danube as a motor of our work.

Our goals:

We want to gather information about structures of seniors' education and current good practices in work with older people and in seniors' education in the individual countries and to discuss these.

We want to draw attention in our countries to subjects that are important for work with older people. For this it is expedient to found in each country an institution, a centrum for continuing education that in cooperation with a university develops and evaluates innovative concepts.

We want to introduce new learning fields in seniors' education and share new perspectives.

We want to use the chances offered by cross-national cooperation through expert exchanges, joint seminars and other joint actions.

Many our older citizens have done over many years responsible work in their professions. We would like to summon them, to pass their professional know-how, organisational knwoeldge and social competence to younger people, also in the other Danube countries. To achieve this, we want to develop together with the SeniorExpertService an infrastructure.

We want to use the possibilities provided through virtual communication and help to open the access to it to seniors in our institutions, so that they can cooperate better in the Danube-networkers community.

Further steps:

We work on various subjects and use the Internet for exchange, communication and for work on the project ideas.

We disseminate the ideas and results of the project and its findings in our home countries and search for support from policial organisations, business and other bodies.

We establish contact with the Danube Offices in our country.

We meet at the Danube Festivals in the various countries.

We place joint applications for funding of project work.

Project idea:

We would like to initiate a concrete project. Together with seniors from our institutions we would like to design a project "Via Danubia", in which seniors - and younger people - present their countries and towns from their various perpectives. We will search for cooperation with schools.
Through the organisation of exchange and study trips, older people will receive a sound view and experience of the other countries, this will help to create a new image of Europe.

We ask for your support!

Ulm, 11.7.08

The participants of the seminar "Home country - Danube country":
Volkshochschule Ottokring, (Adult education centre Ottakring)Vienna, Austria
University of the 3rd Age, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
Cultural Centre Budapest, Hungary
European House, Vukovar, Croatia
Danube-Association, Novi Sad, Serbia
National Foundation for Humane Aging, Belgrad, Serbia
Group "European Integration", Pitesti, Romania
European Management Centre, Sofia, Bulgaria
UTA Moldova, Moldova, Moldawia
West Ukrainian Resources Centre, Lemberg, Ukraine
ZAWiW of Ulm University, Working group "European contacts", Ulm, Germany