University stakeholders, intergenerational relationships and lifelong learning: a European case study

ABSTRACT

This study describes and analyzes the role of a Senior Programme of the University of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain) aimed at fostering older people’s lifelong learning, active ageing, social participation, and intergenerational relationships. Based on qualitative Action Research and Participant Observation, this article examines the participation of senior students as stakeholders in this Programme and in two European projects, SIforAGE and TOY, developed between 2012 and 2017. The findings reveal the importance of these learning and research activities to promote intergenerational solidarity, the quality of life of older people, and the development and improvement of the Senior Programme itself.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Notes

1. The administrations that collaborated in the Senior Programme were the Social Council of the UdL and the Institute of Education of the City Council of Lleida. Since 2004, the UdL has been a member of the Spanish National Association of University Programmes for Older Adults (AEPUM). In total, fifty-three Spanish universities have implemented this type of programme since then.

2. “Communicative observation” is a critical communicative methodology that makes sure that researchers co-operate with the participants on equal terms, and can make comments and share their interpretations. It places a particular emphasis on the advantages of observation as a form of participation. For more information, see: CREA – Centre for Social and Educational Research. University of Barcelona. http://www.neskes.net/workalo/indexan.htm.

3. See: http://www.who.int/ageing/healthy-ageing/en/.

4. See: The European Year of Active Ageing 2012: http://www.envejecimientoactivo2012.net/Menu29.aspx.

5. It should not be forgotten that teaching itself is a source of learning for those who teach. For more information, see: Oliveras, J. et al. (2005), pp. 13 and pp. 21–23; and Molina, F. (2006).

6. The “stakeholder” concept was first originated in the business community in 1963 in an internal memorandum of the Standford Research Institute. Since then, it has been used to modify the orientations and perspectives of companies and organisations (Wang & Dewhirst, 1992). These conceptual changes have been developed in relation to the increasingly active roles assumed by stakeholders whose opinions and interventions have been taken into consideration in various companies and organisations (Lozano, 1999, p. 122–123).

7. See: http://www.senior.udl.cat.

8. The project began in 2012 and concluded in 2016 with a final international conference in Barcelona, in which the main findings were presented to the European Commission, the governments of the EU member states, and the citizens. The presentation of this project was catalogued in the project’s blog by Ander Errasti López, the Finance Manager of the SiforAGE Project, GISME Group, University of Barcelona. See: http://envejecimientoenred.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/siforage-el-reto-del-envejecimiento-activo-y-saludable-en-la-union-europea/.

9. See: http://www.toyproject.net/.

10. See:http://educacio.paeria.cat/lleida-educa/als-ciutadans-i-ciutadanes/toy-together-old-young/toy-together-old-young and http://www.toyproject.net Under the coordination of the ICDI (International Child Development Initiatives), all the partners contributed to the development of the proposal. In this sense, the rest of the members of the team were: International Child Development Initiatives (the Netherlands), the Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland), the Educational Research Institute (Slovenia), Lunaria (Italy), the Comenius Foundation for Child Development (Poland), the University of Lleida and Ajuntament de Lleida (Spain), the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and Retesalute (Italy). Dr Margaret Kenan is the Main Researcher, together with Dr Giulia Cortesi. The work undertaken by the UdL Senior Programme as a stakeholder resulted from the collaboration between the University of Lleida and the City Council: Mr Àngel Melero, Dr Montse Gea and Dr Anna Soldevila (UdL), Mr Joan Ballesté and Ms Blanca Moreno (Ajuntament de Lleida) were the members of both institutions involved.

11. We would like to thank Dr Maria Vidal (Grup Dedal-Lit, UdL) and Mr Ángel Melero (Senior Programme, UdL) for their help in the identification and recording of good practices. See: http://www.siforage.eu/; http://www.senior.udl.cat/; http://www.aepumayores.org/.

12. See: http://www.senior.udl.cat/comentarisiopinions/cisiodelsestudiants.html?__locale=ca.

Additional information

Funding

This research has received financial support from the CEJEM Research Institute and was conducted within the framework of GESEC (Grupo de Estudios sobre Sociedad, Salud, Educación y Cultura –Society, Health, Education and Culture Study Group). It is also the result of theoretical and empirical research conducted for the SIforAGE and TOY projects