The Budapest Times - 2014. szeptember 25.
In the Silver City communities there are more opportunities
In Burgas, the Silver Business Academy has started with the intention of increasing the employment of people over 50, In Treviso, the elaboration of a cooperation-based system has started, which joins the legal regulation, the system of the employment office and the civil organizations in order to help the 50+ unemployed in a much more effective and targeted way. In Maribor, a counseling system and targeted events connect and help the relation network and the mutual communication between jobseekers and employers.
The peculiarity in Galati is the volunteer program called “Senior Club”, where the elderly can take an active role as mentors of children, e.g.: reading tales, learning together. The programs of Zagreb like the Religious Tourguide aim at the support of those who are in a difficult situation and the employment of the 50+ people.
My city – active elderly ages in Zugló
In Hungary, in Zugló, the 14th district of the Capital City, Budapest, in the framework of the Silver City pilot project the realization of the Zugló Age Center is among the international examples.
The series of programs supported by the EU made it possible for the City Council of Zugló to create and to run the Zugló Age Center in Cserepesház (Vezér u. 18/b), based on the knowledge of King Sigismund College (ZSKF)
The Center that took the example from the Finnish (Ikäkeskus) and the German (Seniorenbüro) systems takes the role of the “organizer”, “bridge” and “catalyst”. It helps in solving the problems of the 60+ people, making the most of their activity potentials, processing their suggestions related to community life, and transferring those to the appropriate local government or government organizations. In the framework of the pilot project, the Age Center offers a complex portfolio of services: info point, voluntarism, andragogy according to the methodology of gerontagia, community building.
The Infopoint. One of the most important activity conditions for the elderly is to gain information about the initiatives and services of the district offices, civil or church organizations. The Infopoint ensures the accessibility of the certain programs, their connections, the registrations of the applications for the programs, and they also welcome suggestions and questions about certain problems.
One of the main conditions of the functioning of the Age Center is to have such participants who feel involved in the issues of the elderly of Zugló. This is the reason why the recruitment and the training of the 60+ senior volunteers has started who feel the strength and the willingness to help the lives of the local elderly people as peers.
Silver Academy is a series of scientific lectures in the form of a Free University in Cserepesház. Accomodating to the academic year, there are 10 lectures that are open for the 60+ visitors for free of charge.
English language courses. The registered 60+ residents of Zugló had the option to learn English at a beginning or advanced level in order to be able to gain information in a foreign language.
The leadership of the district would like to reinforce the trust in Zugló in a way that the inhabitants could feel free to turn to their neighbors for some help or offering ours, or to other people living in the house, street, not only to our PrintSEE- logo multi coloured v3family and relatives. The result of this helping hand is a favor-community with members helping each other in case of need.
http://budapesttimes.hu/2014/09/19/in-the-silver-city-communities-there-are-more-opportunities/
Announcement of the Silver City Final Conference For the Golden Age
The SILVER CITY project is coming to its end and will be closed with the final conference For the Golden Age that will be held on 23rd September 2014 in Hotel Thermana, Laško, Slovenia. At the conference, Silver City project results, experiences and good practices in the area of active ageing will be presented. Special attention will be given to the presentation of pilots related to employment of 50+ and volunteering of 60+ developed and tested in all six partners’ countries. The conference is an opportunity for positive promotion and exchange of opinions and views in the area of active ageing in the EU countries. The conference will bring together stakeholders, policy and decision makers from project partners’ and other EU countries, local authorities, experts in the area of active ageing and other interested public.
Please, reserve the date. More detailed information will follow in the next days.
Mid-term evaluation answers for Silver City
Silver City LP-WP2 - Presentation
Solution Engineering Session
5th July 2013, Burgas, Bulgaria
Prior the Solution Engineering Session, city survey results and local pilot project there were presented and a short discussion was held. The solution engineering session was in a form of discussion and was focused mainly on the development and implementation of a pilot project in Burgas, considering the milestones and barriers that should be taken into consideration during the process.
The meeting started with an introduction to the theme as a comparison that a life belt for a man is activity but being active or/and employed is not always enough to be happy so the best motivation for this target group is creativity. Be creative is the message toward the target group.
As a priority group in this pilot project, Burgas municipality has set unemployed people age 50 + in response to the high unemployment rate among this target group and to the needs of more working opportunities.
Participants in the meeting referred to the target group in the Application form of SILVER CITY project - 50+ - long unemployed or recently retired or left the labour market or 60+ - retired or nearing retirement age and noted the eligibility of the target group employed 50 + within the pilot project.
Throughout the discussion participants mentioned that the application form says 50+ unemployed but it is not prohibited to deal with other people and this should not limit employed 50+ to participate in activities.
In order to avoid unintended consequences a decision was taken to check eligibility of a target group – employed 50+ and to modify the target group in case of ineligibility.
Solution Engineering Session
4th June 2013, Zagreb, Croatia
After the City Survey being finished on the sample of 1500 examinees, the crucial problem we identified was the unemployment of the people 50-65 and the most vulnerable group we found was the male population of that age group. In order to search for a concrete solution within pilot programme we intend to develop we organized a Solution Engineering Session in Zagreb on 4th June 2013. We included an overview presentation of economic development in Croatia from the 1990 onwards which felt to be very important in order to understand the movements on the labour market since the independence of our country and the transition from a planned to a market economy. A representative of the Croatian Employment Service held a presentation on the Activities of Croatian Employment Service in regard to working with unemployed people over the age of 50. We also wanted to present a slightly different point of view expressed by a representation of the web-site "Moj posao" ("My work"), a private firm oriented towards employment, in his presentation "the Croatian labor market, with emphasis on the population 50+". The presentation by the representative of the City of Zagreb, "The Model of City of Zagreb – Activities for elderly", had the intent to present various actions and measures for the seniors and retirees. After the presentations and local city survey findings, we discussed the possible measures for unemployed people over 50. With the stakeholders present at the meeting, as well as with some other interested parties, we will complete the final actions in regard to the pilot programme.
Solution Engineering Session
22nd May 2013, Maribor, Slovenia
With the aim to search for concrete actions and solutions tackling the identified challenges and opportunities from the Slovene City Survey the Solution Engineering Session was organised in Maribor on 22nd of May 2013. In order to highlight the situation in Slovenia and the region in question, the short presentations were provided by TAP expert, Employment service and Foundation for improvement of employment possibilities PRIZMA. Participants learned about strategies and legislation regarding active ageing and employment, situation at the local market with the focus on 50+ and a case of good practice of developing job searching skills of 50+. After presentation of the City Survey results the participating thematic experts of partners, TAP experts and local stakeholders took over the role of »critical friends« and discussed the challenges and solutions for employers and unemployed 50+ people. Issues like changing the mind-sets, sharing good practice and promoting good image of 50+ were exposed as well as concrete solutions regarding activities for unemployed and employers. It was stated that the cooperation with the Employment service will be very important for the pilot delivery as well as direct contacts with employers.
Efficient local partnerships for elderly and vulnerable people
Good practice exchange of transnational cooperation projects funded by the CENTRAL EUROPE and the SOUTH-EAST EUROPE Programmes
9 May, 2013, Budapest, Hungary
Hosted as a networking event among different transnational cooperation projects, and designed to ensure the promotion of efficient and concrete tools directed to efficient local partnerships established for helping elderly and vulnerable people, a good practice exchange will be organized by the partnership of the SOUTH EAST EUROPE project SILVER CITY, the CENTRAL EUROPE projects HELPS (www.helps-project.eu), Q-AGEING (www.q-ageing.eu) and SENIOR CAPITAL (www.seniorcapital.eu) in Budapest on the 9th of May 2013.
Partners of the above projects have/will demonstrate(d) the significant actual and potential contribution that older people and/or other vulnerable groups can make to the society through a final set of pilot projects tested (or being tested) in various Central European or South-East European regions. Four thematic workshops will investigate into issues at stake related to the different contexts of (active) ageing:
- Innovative solutions/best practices in social care for the elderly and vulnerable people
- Re-integration of seniors to the labor market (tailor-made education programs, employment solutions, etc.)
- Innovative housing solutions/best practices for the elderly and vulnerable people
- Re-integration of seniors to the society by voluntary programs
The event is supported by the Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme (www.central2013.eu) and the SOUTH EAST EUROPE Programme (www.southeast-europe.net).
Key decision-makers from relevant national and regional ministries from the Central/South East Europe area and beyond are expected, along with interested NGOs, experts and representatives of similar European projects and initiatives’ attendance.
Solution Engineering Session
8th May 2013, Budapest, Hungary
Within the two-day 1st Transnational Thematic Workshop of Silver City project there was a so-called ’Solution Engineering Session’ held on 8th May 2013. The workshop served the purpose of having a look at the first outputs of city survey in Zugló, and of identifying further questions to investigate. With the help of thematic experts of partners and members of Transnational Advisory Panel participants pointed out possible directions of promoting active ageing locally, and generated ideas for the Silver City pilot project at the Municipality of Zugló. Main topics of discussion were around how to attract people to participate in social activities and lessen passivity and isolation, how to promote involvement into voluntary activities that serves mutual benefit of those providing and receiving it. Active participation in decision making, self-organisation of senior groups as well as having a better understanding of what motivates elderly citizens for active life are key approaches for actions. Success of pilot depends on systematic approach towards community development, and comprehensive communication towards citizens as good practices from other municipalities proved.
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