A RETROSPECTIVE ON EDUVITA’S SOCIAL IMPACT IN 2022

In 2022, we developed the analysis and experimentation for our first Erasmus+ KA2 project coordinated by EduVita, entirely committed to the description and experimentation of the tools in intergenerational education. We have built a European community of intergenerational bridgers across Italy, Slovenia, Poland, Turkey, Lithuania, Czech Republic, inspiring and empowering adult educators with the knowledge and the skills they need to adopt an intergenerational learning approach in their educational practice. 

We developed a digital manual collecting 12 good practices of IGL learning to involve young and elderly in safe and purposeful learning experiences. The manual in 7 languages is published here.

In collaboration with the Municipality of Caprarica di Lecce, we have created and run the first creative tactical urbanism competition in memory of Antonio L.Verri, involving more than 40 young talents from all over Italy, with 20 projects competing for the first prize of 10.000€. We have transformed intergenerational learning into a practical engaging experience, which allows young generations to learn from the art and the literature of local artists like Antonio Verri. At the same time, the unexpected cultural heritage of Salento has been re-discovered and re-interpreted from the modern perspective of tactical urbanism thanks to younger generations. Soon, the top 10 projects will be published on our social media channels to involve the whole community in the evaluation.

We have created the opportunity for more than 40 local adult students aged between 50 and 84 to go back to learning and engage in lifelong learning experiences. From learning a foreign language to developing digital skills, in 2022 we have held a set of  group courses, workshops, and individual sessions in Lecce, designed to meet adult learners’ needs and help them develop the skills they need to be active parts of our society. For example, English classes at EduVita also become an opportunity for 50+ learners to socialize, meet people from other cultures and overcome the fear of speaking in English in real contexts.

In 2022, EduVita involved 15 local educators in 8 international learning programs in the field of adult education, giving them the opportunity to specialize in adult learners’ needs and methodologies. Adult education is a recent pedagogical area, which requires professionals to be able to respond efficiently to adult education needs and challenges while supporting empathically the adult learners. For this reason, EduVita’s educators constantly take part in international learning experiences, where they acquire new skills and learn innovative tools, meet experts, and exchange experiences with other adult education institutions from all over Europe.

Moreover, in the last year, EduVita helped more than 30 educators develop professional skills for teachers and trainers, including digital competencies, with Informatics Certification, and English Esol B1, C1, C2 Certification.

During the last year, EduVita has partnered in 8 international projects with European organizations and institutions specializing in adult education and intergenerational learning, to investigate and develop new educational methodologies and tools for quality adult learning. Taking part in these projects, EduVita specialized in different areas of adult education including adult digital literacy, cultural heritage, critical thinking, digital storytelling, art-therapy, IGL educators training, and adult language education. 

All the skills, methodologies, and tools developed during the projects are implemented in EduVita’s community, giving the opportunity to local learners and educators to learn, experiencing the latest innovations in adult education and lifelong learning.

For this reason, EduVita promotes the dialogue and the connections between international partners, and cultural, educational, and public institutions and organizations from Salento, involving local representatives, experts, and educators in the international meetings hosted in Lecce.

As a result, EduVita has contributed to the development of research reports, online platforms platforms and publications, collecting the good practices explored and the investigation carried out during the projects.

• Digital manual of best practices in Intergenerational learning, created in the field of the project “Intergenerational Bridge: Connect to Create”
• Digital self-reflection tool for seniors, willing to become educators and RESEARCH REPORT & MARKETING GUIDELINE for adult education institutes in the field of the project “AGE:WISE”
• Methodology for Adult educators “E-shahrazad: Digital Storytelling for Intergenerational learning” 
• ART-THERAPHY METHODS IN ADULT EDUCATION: THE FINAL PUBLICATION OF THE PROJECT
• Digital skills for Family Learning: training materials
• Toolkit for adult educators “Circles of Arts“

Both locally and internationally, EduVita has committed to creating and promoting dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between generations. In 2022, we shared our experience in connecting generations in different international projects, exchanging the good practices of IGL learning we have developed in the last years such as Vita Diaries, book swap between generations, and intergenerational language classes. In Lecce, we work daily to create a safe space where people and learners of any age can come together, overcome generational gaps, learn with and from each other, and collaborate for the development of a more sustainable society. Our last intergenerational event of 2022 was EduVita Christmas Party, where our 50+ English students and our young educators had the opportunity to meet, enjoy board games together, talk and exchange experiences, and feel connected in a joyful multigenerational environment.

Over 2022 we have reached around 60k people through our social media channels, engaging our content with 50.700 users on Facebook and 8989 users on Instagram. As digital communication is becoming more and more powerful and essential, we firmly commit to promoting our values, our discoveries, our projects, and our daily work through multiple online channels, in order to inspire and educate younger and older generations, both on a local and on an international level.

During 2022, we have collaborated with Adult education institutions, libraries, Universities, NGOs from Germany, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Turkey, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Czeck Republic, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Estonia, United Kingdom.

On a local level, we have been collaborating with the professors and students of the University of Salento, Municipalities, local libraries, and NGOs.