<< Background >>According to Art. 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, any ‘discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited’. Where ageism occurs, older adults – especially those with functional restrictions, chronic diseases and disabilities – often feel excluded from society and face major hurdles to their social participation. In addition to the untapped contributions these groups could make, research shows that ageism has harmful effects on both the physical and mental health of older adults. Ageism has been shown to impact on one's life expectancy, and to cause cardiovascular stress, lowered levels of self-efficacy and productivity.Across the EU, policies and practices still reflect ageist prejudices and deprioritise, disregard or even exclude older adults. Structural ageism is a form of systematic stereotyping and discrimination and can be defined as a way in which society and its institutions sustain ageist attitudes. It can be found, among others, in the legal system, the media and the economy, but also in the Third Sector. It takes the form of upper age limits, the inadequate provision of services for the needs of older people, failure to take situations or aspirations of individuals into account when making decisions or allocating resources, and the segregation of people in later life due to a lack of real choice to remain present and active in their communities.Ageing is a universal experience. Hence anyone who lives long enough to be labelled as ‘old’ will potentially be a victim of ageism and likely to experience stereotyping, stigmatisation and discrimination. According to a still prevailing perspective in society, old age is considered a personal problem, not that of the environment that does not adequately respond to our human diversity. Ageism involves systematic discrimination against people on the grounds of their age, often in close relation to ableism that defines people with certain disabilities as inferior and assign or deny them specific abilities, skills, or character orientations. As with other discrimination, ageism takes various forms ranging from stereotyping to mistreatment and abuse. Moreover, ageism leads to violations of human rights on the grounds of age that often go unnoticed or are accepted, also by older people themselves who may be unaware of their rights being breached. In this context, the negative effects of ageism tend to be denied or are not considered to be as serious and harmful as other forms of discrimination.Older people need to be encouraged to reflect their own negative biases towards old age and to be protected from condescending attitudes and practices that often go together with patronising. This applies to an extremely high degree when old age goes together with vulnerability and they depend on the support by others. However, persons engaged in the social or healthcare sector as staff, volunteers or informal carers are not free of ageist attitudes.Ageism is a phenomenon that is found in all European countries and is in need to be tackled not only in one of the Member States.By working towards the planned project results, our transnational cooperation offers opportunities for mutual learning and developing strategies that respond to a similar challenge in different cultural settings. In this context, the SAA project is also addressing vital needs of the partner organisations involved.<< Objectives >>The consortium members share the belief, that measures are needed to promote self-reflection efforts among persons of all age-groups and to develop an understanding for the harm that can result from ageism. By implementing the project, we want to achieve the following results for particular target groups:• We want to develop a learning game that is particularly directed at paid staff and volunteers in social and healthcare organisations who are usually highly burdened by workloads and short of time. Taking their strains into account we intend to offer them an informal learning experience with a playful approach in order to increase their understanding of ageism and enable them to reflect on their attitudes and practices.• Although the game can be applied as a stand-alone tool, its effects will deepen if applied in a non-formal learning environment. A toolkit for adult educators will give support in conducting workshops in which the SAA game is applied. The tools will also consider the special needs of associations and lobby-groups of seniors to run such workshops as facilitators. They are in direct touch with older people, with colleagues from the Third Sector, and with decision-makers in authorities which puts them in a position to make attractive educational offers. • Ageism is pervasive, and many old people are not aware of their discrimination or even share ageist attitudes. Therefore, we want to create a game that will be intuitive and easy-to-handle and can be used to initiate self-reflection and a new view to age diversity. Older adults in particular need support in (re-)developing self-assurance and confidence in their own strengths, talents and abilities.In summary, the SAA project aims to create a low-threshold and playful access to the experiential worlds of older adults, especially when suffering from functional restrictions, chronic diseases and disability. This serves to promote a self-reflective and emphatic examination of the topic through an educational game. For this purpose, accompanying material for stakeholders in adult education, decision-makers in associations and municipalities as well as for the broad public is intended to add to the personal impacts of playing the game.In addition to this, at European and international level, we want to be a best practice example for tackling the problem of ageism in a playful and non-accusatory way, and inspire other organisations to also apply the SAA game. Additionally, the gained experiences and project results will enrich the discourse in the field of adult education and research. The SAA consortium members can present the educational game, its underlying methodology and project outcomes in terms of accompanying material and the feedback from learners and other stakeholders in social and healthcare provision. By doing so, we also want to strengthen our local, regional, national and European networks, broaden our portfolios with new and attractive offers to our primary audiences from the social and healthcare sectors, train their staff and volunteers, provide the opportunity to share experiences across borders and hence help them to better fulfil their missions.<< Implementation >>In order to achieve the project objectives and deliver the planned results, we will elaborate four Project Results. They form different components for an integrated training offer but can be also used independently from each other:• To find out more about the impacts of ageist situations and strategies how to cope with them, we will collect experience reports, testimonials, frequently used allegations, argumentation patterns and forms of self-protection. The results will also provide a solid basis for developing the scenes of the game. They will be documented in national summaries and synthesised in a European compendium. The deliverable will be edited as online publication and contribution to the public discourse, and it will serve as a basis for PR2.• We will create an interactive learning platform with the SAA game at its core that will be accompanied by a library and materials for adult educators, including a workshop curriculum, a trainer manual and a template for certificates, and for stakeholders at political level. In developing the game and e-learning platform, the project partners will make use of co-creation methodologies to include the voice of older people. For the development of the scenes of the game, we will conduct workshops with persons who have experienced ageism and are ready to share its impacts. They will also assess the scenes elaborated by the responsible partners and initiate improvements if necessary. In the second step, the scripts and scenarios will be translated into technical qualification. The beta version of the game will be tested in local workshops with staff and volunteers from the social and healthcare sector. Based on these results, the alpha version will be completed, and the learning platform will be equipped with accompanying documents and media.• For using the game in a non-formal learning setting, we will develop a toolkit for trainers including a curriculum and trainer manual with instructions on how to make use of the game. Adult educators who are not yet experienced in applying digital media will be provided with aids for using digital media in general and the SAA learning games. A specific section will deal with needs of members of lobby-groups of seniors to conduct workshops for the target groups in the social and healthcare sector. Like the beta version of the game, PR3 will be tested by local learners and adapted where necessary.• Further support will be given to policy-makers as well as lobby groups and associations in educational and socio-political fields that are elementary to spread knowledge about the existence of these learning opportunity and to foster its implementation. To do so, we will elaborate recommendations on how to promote diversity and empathy for victims of ageism and to facilitate the usage of the game and the learning platform. Multiplier events at national and European level will also be used as communication and dissemination channels.Horizontal tasks accompanying the whole process of the implementation of pilot courses and the delivery of results embrace:• Project management and coordination, including regular communication among partners and the promotion of an open, outcome-oriented working atmosphere;• Quality assurance by peer reviews, the feedback of learners at the end of the courses and other measures specified in a quality plan;• Sharing and promotion activities by all project partners at local, regional, national and European levels to reach out to relevant stakeholders as well as the interested public under the lead of a dissemination manager according to a sharing and promotion plan.<< Results >>Upon completion of the project, four core outputs will have been established:• The compendium 'Responding to ageism' based on personal experiences of being a target of age discrimination as well as of strategies to cope with the situation.• The SAA interactive learning platform with the learning game at its core and further material for learners, adult educators, policy-makers in authorities and associations, and the broad public.• The toolkit for trainers with all necessary material to implement the game in workshops, also enabling members of seniors lobby-groups to offer trainings.• Recommendations for policy-makers, lobby-groups and associations to tackle the problems of ageism.The SAA tool will enable learners from the social and healthcare sector to identify forms of age discrimination. They will be encouraged to reflect on their attitudes and to reconsider parts of them that may be problematic. Through learning about the perspectives and feelings of those concerned by discrimination, they will develop empathy and gain knowledge about ageism as a harmful and discriminatory phenomenon that is influencing the way they think, feel and interact with older persons. Hence, learners are supported to change their practices towards less stigmatising, more respectful and inclusive mindset and attitudes of older adults.Adult educators will be provided with a free and state-of-the-art tool including a framework for self-reflective discussions among their staff and the players of the game. They will be able to include them in existing educational modules or use the game elements to create new workshops on related issues. Lobby-groups of seniors will be supported to take on multiplying and training functions for staff and volunteers of social and healthcare providers. Through their contacts with social associations and local authorities, they are in an excellent position to identify ageist situations and behaviours and offer support and training with the tools developed in this project.Policy-makers will be provided with a brochure on problems and solutions to ageist practices as well as the relevance of anti-discriminatory educational work and how to support it. By encouraging involvement and education for everyone, they can contribute age diversity in our societies. Lobby-groups, NGOs and initiatives will gain information, arguments and strategies to reinforce this development. Through various dissemination and communication means, the broad public will be made more aware of the pervasiveness of ageism. The SAA game will contribute to a strengthening of tolerance of diversity and non-discrimination in coping with older adults by training empathy and the ability to change perspective. The project outcomes will be reinforced at local, regional, national and European level through the on-going activities and their communication (newsletters, social media, articles, the involvement of governmental organisations, adult educators, lobby-groups, etc.) Ideally, this will lead to a more inclusive public environment which is respectful of diverse age groups and abilities, and to changes in the knowledge, attitudes as well as personal and professional practices.Last but not least, by developing new practices and methods to combat ageism, the SAA consortium members along with their associated partners will have strengthened their links at European level, introduced their staff - most importantly: new colleagues - to transnational work experiences, and broadened their expertise and range of services by another attractive educational offer.

"We are witnessing a longevity revolution; in 2060, one in eight Europeans will be 80 years or older. Very old people will thus not be a small minority in our societies but a significant citizen group. General perceptions of very old age are mainly associated with limitations, loss (e.g. abilities, possibilities, autonomy) and health and care issues.The ACT80+ partnership believes that the attitude towards the very old has to be changed and the focus from inabilities shifted to opportunities and strengths. Therefore, the vision of the Active 80+ project was a) to facilitate and provide access to informal learning opportunities for old people with functional limitations or care needs and b) to combat negative stereotypes about this population group as regards being restricted to the role of consumers of services.Since the access to social and public environment of very old people is often limited, professionals and volunteers working with them belong to their most important contact persons. Their support in detecting and re-developing hidden strengths of very old people they are involved with and their encouragement of very old people to engage in meaningful activities can be crucial in providing access to learning and ensuring greater independence and enjoyment of later life. The core idea of the ACT80+ project was to develop a research-based training concept and train care staff and volunteers to function as coaches for people 80+. Coaches supported older people in developing and realizing their own ideas of learning and active citizenship (""projects""). Therefore, the ACT80+ project involved the following target groups: A) Experts and very old people as interviewees: At the beginning of the project, in all partner countries and at European level, interviews were performed with key actors, including citizens at very high age, experts, policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Their comments and feedback have been considered in the development of the training concept (Training Package ACT80+). B) Staff and volunteers of health and social service providers (as training participants and coaches)C) Very old people with funcional restrictions or care needs (as older learners and (co-)initiators of projects)D) Organizations (health and social service providers, associations representing the needs of the older people, adult training-providers) & other relevant stakeholders at national and European levelExperiences gained in developing and realizing the research-based (see European Benchmarking Report O1) training for care staff and volunteers working with people 80+ were summarized in the Handbook for Trainers (O4). Furthermore, the partnership elaborated the Handbook for Practitioners (O5), which addresses volunteers and paid staff of health and social services providers, empowerment groups, older people’s organisations and associations willing to coach, empower and work with people 80+ interested in learning and meaningful activities. This publication is meant to inspire and provides many practical examples of projects that emerged from our Active 80+ trainings in the partner countries.In order to nudge also changes at structural level, the ACT80+ partnership elaborated policy recommendations at the EU, national, regional and local levels (O6). The Erasmus+ project was carried out from October 2014 to September 2016 and involved six partner organizations in five EU-countries: Austria (queraum. cultural and social research - EU coordinator; Austrian Red Cross), Germany (ISIS), Italy (Lunaria), Lithuania (Senior Initiatives Center) and the Netherlands (OVN-NL - Oudere Vrouwen Netwerk - Nederland). All partners involved in the ACT80+ project • are experienced in planning, realizing, managing and disseminating European projects, • are active in the fields of socio-gerontology and the promotion of active citizenship and civic competencies of older people, familiar with the issue of active citizenship and lifelong learning of very old people• are experienced in developing and implementing training concepts• are well networked at local, regional, national and European level and• share long-term collaborative relationsThe ACT80+ partnership is convinced that, the project contributed to the change of perception of older people 80+. The main outcomes, such as the Handbook for Trainers, the Handbook for Practitioners and the Policy Recommendations as well as comprehensive dissemination activities in all partner countries raised awareness for the issue and encouraged stakeholders in care homes, welfare organizations and at political level to continue their activities in this field and /or transfer the ACT80+ approach to their contexts. Additionally, experiences gained and outcomes of the ACT80+ project enriched discussions at European level."

ContextWe live at a time in history where the number of older people is exceeding the number of younger people. The experience of ageing depends not only on the functional capacities of a person but also to a large extent on the physical and social environment in which that person lives. The environment where older people live is crucial for their well-being and mobility is one of the prerequisites for social participation, which, in turn reduces the social and economic cost of physical inactivity. Being mobile means being able to go outside, take care of yourself, see friends, stay active, be visible and be involved in community activities. Public authorities and service providers are responsible for and profit from making their services and public spaces more accessible to all – including older citizens and customers. Older people as experts of their own life know best how services and public spaces should be designed and organised to meet their needs. Objectives & activitiesGiven this background, the overall objective of the Mobility Scouts project was to involve older men and women in decision-making processes and enable and empower them to contribute to the creation of age-friendly environments and services. The core idea of the Mobility Scouts project was to train older men and women to initiate co-production processes. Based on a framework curriculum - developed by partners from five EU countries - the Mobility Scouts trainings provided older people with knowledge on accessibility and infrastructural issues. Through the training, older people are empowered to speak up and participate constructively in different societal, political, and economic fields and foster new types of cooperation with organisations, institutions and companies. As ‘agents of change’ Mobility Scouts brought together older citizens and local authorities and service providers to cooperate in the development of age-friendly environments and services. They implemented mobility projects based on the local specificities, their own and their cooperation partners´ interests. Mobility Scouts e.g. acted as intermediaries, collected feedback of older citizens on their living environment, possible problem areas, public buildings and senior-non-friendly offers and forwarded them to the relevant institutions (e.g. planners, companies, local authorities, municipal departments). Informal and more direct as well as anonymous possibilities for all citizens have been developed and implemented: e.g. round tables, guided walks, living room meetings, surveys. Furthermore, Mobility Scouts also organized activities to support others to stay and become active and participate in social life. Some target groups (e.g. older people with dementia) were given a special infrastructure and support to leave their homes and get involved. Detailed information on the Mobility Scouts approach, the training and mobility projects implemented are summarized in the Toolkit for Practitioners and the Handbook for stakeholders at local level. Furthermore, an Online Training Course (available in English, German, Lithuanian, Italian and Dutch) provides background information, inspirational examples and practical tools to participate in the creation of age-friendly environments. This presentation is dedicated to men and women who want to get active as Mobility Scouts and to all organisations interested in supporting them to do so. It also addresses experts, stakeholders and citizens who want to contribute to age-friendly communities. Translations of all outcomes in the national languages of the five partners are accessible on the Mobility Scouts website, www.mobility-scouts.eu.PartnersMobility Scouts was implemented by partners working in the fields of social policy and research, social gerontology and adult education in Austria (queraum. cultural and social research), Germany (ISIS Sozialforschung · Sozialberatung · Politikberatung ), Italy (Lunaria), Lithuania (Seniors Initiatives Center) and the Netherlands (OVN-NL- Oudere Vrouwen Netwerk - Nederland).Results and impact attainedIn total 67 men and women between 49 and 94 years attended the trainings and initiated more than 20 mobility projects. Mobility Scouts involved approx. 450 other older men and women in surveys, round tables, living room meetings, trainings and activities. Furthermore, a high number of relevant stakeholders were involved as interview partners, guest speakers at the training or cooperation partners of Mobility Scouts. 213 stakeholders took the chance to attend the National Networking Events organized by project partners in close cooperation with Mobility Scouts. On EU level, due to the cooperation with AGE Platform Europe, governmental organizations, policy makers and interest groups have been regularly informed on the project and outcomes. Sustainability is guaranteed as (cooperation) partners and Mobility Scouts in all partner countries are motivated to continue their activities.

The majority of elements in our cities and communities were designed and developed in a different demographic context. The unprecedented increase in the ageing population urges to explore the fitness of our built environment, social environment, community and health support, and modify those environments in a new demographic context. A promising strategy to deal with this issue is developing citizen competencies so that older adults take an active role in documenting features of their environment that create barriers or enablers for active and healthy living, and then voice them to policy and decision makers to promote change.Age-friendly Environments (AFE) Activists project addressed the need of tailored training to adults aged 65 and over who want to promote age-friendly environments in their cities and influence municipal agencies in their decision making so that the infrastructures and services of the town or city are adapted to the diverse capacities, realities, needs and preferences of all residents of all ages.The main objectives of this project have been to: 1) Train, empower and support older people to get active for their cities/communities/neighbourhoods, to bring forward their ideas and initiatives for age-friendly environments; 2) Develop supportive, innovative and accessible training/learning modules and materials that are relevant to others (adult education providers, trainers etc.); 3) Raise awareness of the importance of age-friendly environments for active participation and civic engagement of older citizens 4) Produce and disseminate sustainable outputs and outcomes and build strong networks for age-friendly environments and active participation of older citizens.The objectives were achieved by: 1) Collecting, analysing and showcasing inspiring grass-roots initiatives in different domains of age-friendly environments; 2) Designing and testing a training programme by cross-border cooperation and short-term study visits; 3) Experiential and project-based learning enabling the older-age participants to initiate activities in the field of age-friendly environments; 4) A transnational learning mobility to give selected participants the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of an age-friendly environment in The Hague and Udine, members of the WHO age-friendly cities network; 5) Involving experts, public servants and different stakeholders in project activities; 6) Disseminating project results at conferences and public events.Four outputs were delivered by the project partners:1) A COMPENDIUM OF GOOD PRACTICES OF AGE-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTS (AFE) containing exemplary grass-roots initiatives from European countries in different domains of age-friendly environment. The Compendium was used as a training resource and as awareness raising tool for understanding activism and advocacy for and by older people and for gaining inspirations to plan and implement small local projects.2) AFE ADVOCACY TRAINING PROGRAMME to be used as a training resource for organisations / institutions interested in learning on AFE issues and including AFE topics into their curricula and/or implementing AFE projects. Pilot training of Age-friendly Environment Activists was delivered by project partners in The Hague, Hanau, Kaunas, Rome and Vienna in the period from September 2019 till March 2020. The training addressed information, advice and advocacy needs of older people with the aim to support them in making choices, taking decisions, securing rights, acting in his or her own interests as well as contributing to the life of the community and being fully engaged in society. 75 older people participated in the training, approx. 75 % females and 25 % males. In addition to in-class training, the programme included study tours to age-friendly cities The Hague and Udine for the selected participants to observe the local age-friendly environment initiatives and transfer the knowledge gained to their peers.3) AFE ADVOCACY HANDBOOK containing the synopsis of good AFE practice examples, AFE advocacy training programme, delivery methods, training tools and AFE advocacy projects implemented by AFE activists in partner countries; and 4) AFE EXPERIENCE HANDBOOK describing the educational approach of a study tour, the pathways of The Hague and Udine towards building a more inclusive society for people of all ages, the selected initiatives to be explored by the international team of AFE activists, and the tools for observation, reflection and self-assessment. The Handbook serves as an awareness raising resource for older citizens, local authorities and municipal agencies, policy makers, responsible businesses, philanthropists and innovators to understand the paradigm of ageing shifting away from older age dependence to contribution, and to encourage them to respond to the needs of ageing citizens and engage them in participatory decision making.The target audiences of the project results are: older adults 65+ who want to remain active in the retirement phase by engaging in lifelong learning opportunities and becoming active members of the civil society, adult education providers, local community and neighborhood groups, NGOs, associations of older people, local and national government agencies.