MEWA - Mature and Elder Women Activation-exchange of experiences of activists 55 plus from Wrocław and Valencia

The Umbrella Foundation and the Por Ti Mujer Association, despite their different activity profiles, have in common active support for the development of local communities. As the experience of both organizations has shown, female activists/social leaders aged 55+ play a special role in this regard. They are active activists who, more often after finishing their professional work, engage in local activities and animate peer communities, which is confirmed, among others, by Eurostat studies (2020). Although this group is particularly willing to undertake activities aimed at acquiring or strengthening various types of competences and skills, there are very few projects that would support their activism. For this reason, both partner organizations decided to fill this gap by implementing an international project responding to their needs in the field of e.g. active actions for peer groups, developing competences to conduct international project activities, as well as strengthening the ability to use a foreign language.

Głównym celem projektu było wzmocnienie pozycji dojrzałych liderek (55+) do pracy ze swoimi rówieśnikami w społecznościach lokalnych poprzez inspirowanie ich międzynarodowymi przykładami współpracy i metodami pracy z seniorami. Z tego powodu dzięki projektowi chcieliśmy wesprzeć ich aktywne starzenie się oraz udział w życiu społecznym. Ponieważ praca z grupami senioralnymi wymaga szczególnego rodzaju zdolności i umiejętności, w projekt włączyliśmy także trenerów/edukatorów senioralnych, aby w ramach grup mieszanych, w tym również o charakterze międzynarodowym, mogli wymieniać się doświadczeniami. Ważnym elementem projektu była także promocja międzynarodowych aktywności, które można podejmować w ramach programu Erasmus+. W tym celu projekt miał się przysłużyć do wzmocnienie kompetencji porozumiewania się w języku obcym uczestników oraz realizacji projektów w ramach programu Erasmus+. Istotną rolą projektu była także wymiana doświadczeń: pokoleniowych, kulturowych i społecznych w zakresie pracy z / dla osób starszych, szukanie punktów wspólnych dzięki wartościom europejskim oraz promocja tożsamości europejskiej.

Various types of activities were carried out as part of the project: 2 five-day international learning teaching trainings (in Valencia and in Wrocław), attended by 6 female activist leaders 55+ and 2 senior trainers/educators from each partner country; 2 local workshops (in Valencia and Wrocław), which were organized by LTT participants with support of the management staff for their local communities in order to implement the experiences gained from the visit to the partner country; 2 dissemination meetings (in Wrocław and Valencia), which were aimed to inform the local communities about the implemented project, as well as to present the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ program. Additionally during the project 2 management meetings were held (TPM, 1 in Wrocław at the beginning of the project, 1 online in the middle of the project) with additional shorter online meetings of the project management teams from both partner organizations to monitor the activities' progress.

The results are visible on two levels: individual and organizational. Thanks to LTT, the participants gained new experiences, got acquainted with new methods of working with senior groups, and strengthened their communication skills in a foreign language (they got rid of inhibitions and barriers, they learned new vocabulary). As a result of the educators' involvement in the project, we additionally achieved a synergy effect between the two groups: the 55+ leaders directly presented their needs and the needs of their peers, and the trainers could verify the methods they used and take into account new activities. Local activities allowed the implementation of the learned methods of work in their local communities - the participants checked their capabilities in the field of organization and implementation of new activities, and verified them with the needs of people taking part in them. In addition, thanks to the dissemination events, the results of the project, learned methods of work and the use of opportunities of the Erasmus+ program in lifelong learning were shared. The result of the project at the organizational level is building a strong partnership between both organizations based on cooperation and trust.