Over recent years social inclusion of seniors emerged as one of the most pressing priorities for EU policymakers. Negative demographic trends along with rapidly increasing penetration of digital technologies in virtually every aspect of human living have promoted the elderly population (seniors) into one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged societal groups. In this context, digital literacy can no longer be considered an advantage but a necessity for the elderly population.
The aim of BOOMER is to provide solutions for the well-known problem of the elderly population through real-world applicable and easy-to-understand educational content for the upbringing of digital skills and social inclusion. The addressed problem is recognised under several priorities of the Erasmus+ programme and existing data clearly show a level of digital skills among the elderly population which makes them particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged in a digital era.
The main intangible product of BOOMER will be the educational content. Courses specifically for the elderly population with low digital skills and competencies will be designed and delivered. All educational content will be freely available through BOOMER Virtual Corner. The structure of the consortium enables us to utilise the knowledge of social, learning, and the technical dimension of education of the elderly population in order to develop comprehensive, applicable, and easy-to-use educational content.
In May of this year, the first educational workshop on digital literacy for senior citizens was held as part of the Erasmus+ BOOMER project. Organized in collaboration with the Croatian Pensioners' Association, the event took place in Karlovac County in the city Duga Resa. Additionally, five more workshops are planned for the northern region of Croatia. The BOOMER project is funded through the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships program and aims to enhance the digital literacy of senior citizens. Alongside Croatian Telecom d.d. and the project coordinator, the CREDO research center of the University of Dubrovnik, the Croatian consortium also includes the Croatian Pensioners' Association and the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb. To date, over 600 users from Croatia and abroad have participated in the educational content developed as part of the project, in both online and physical settings. Nikolina Pejović, a team leader from HT d.d., led the workshop. Project aims to bridge the intergenerational and social gaps caused by digital transformation. Participants had a unique opportunity to learn about various aspects of digital literacy, including communication and collaboration, security, and acquiring basic digital skills. The workshop was interactive, featuring numerous questions from participants that helped deepen their understanding and apply the skills they gained.
Boomer is a European project co-funded by the Erasmus Plus program, involving seven institutions from five countries, each with a different language. The consortium includes the University of Dubrovnik (HR), Hrvatski Telekom (HR), University of Zagreb (HR), Matica umirovljenika Hrvatske (HR), Institut de Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires (BE), IDP SAS (IT), d-ialogo (DE), and Internet Web Solutions (ES). Boomer aims to bridge the intergenerational and social divide created by the digital transformation by providing practical, easy-to-understand educational content for digital skills training and social inclusion. Internet Web Solutions organised a Multiplier dissemination pathway consisting of three sessions that took place from 20 to 22 February 2024, at the headquarters of Arrabal AID, our Associated partner. The 34 workshop participants were stakeholders, local participants, and potential adult operators. To begin with, they received our warmest welcome and we started the session with the presentation of the participants and our team member. Monia Coppola, who gave the session, presented the Boomer Project in all its details, told the participants how the idea of the Project was born, talked about the consortium and the Associated partners who support us, and elaborated on the objectives of the Project and what we have developed to achieve them. In addition, she showed the participants Boomer's REA platform and highlighted all the advantages of our platform, which is free, requires no registration to use and is available online and offline 24/7. Stakeholders, local participants, and potential adult operators present at the Multiplier dissemination pathway were excited to learn about the Boomer Project, its results, and the training content we created to help older people overcome the digital divide they experience every day and to be able to better and more confidently navigate this increasingly digital world. To keep up to date with the Boomer Project and learn more details about the Project, please visit www.digital-boomer.eu.
In collaboration with the Croatian Pensioners' Association, from May 17 to 22, members of the CREDO Research Center at the University of Dubrovnik held workshops on "Digital Literacy for the Elderly" in five Croatian counties. This initiative brought the BOOMER project consortium one step closer to its goal of providing digital literacy education for the elderly in all Croatian counties. During the workshops held in Dubrovnik, Kaštel Kambelovac, Vodice, Senj, and Zadar, participants had the opportunity to expand their knowledge on key topics such as internet safety, recognizing misinformation, cyber security, responsible communication and content sharing on social media, and managing personal finances in a digital environment. Each workshop was carefully designed to address the specific needs of the elderly, providing not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills for everyday application. Participants actively engaged in interactive sessions, exchanging experiences and learning through practical examples and case studies. Special attention was given to topics like internet safety and recognizing misinformation, equipping participants with tools to protect their digital identities and identify fake news, which is crucial in today's increasingly complex digital world. Additionally, through modules on cyber security and responsible communication on social media, participants learned how to use online platforms safely, protecting their privacy and personal data. The BOOMER project is funded through the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships program and aims to enhance digital literacy among the elderly. Alongside the CREDO Research Center at the University of Dubrovnik, the project coordinator, the Croatian consortium also includes the Croatian Pensioners' Association, the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb, and Croatian Telecom. To date, over 600 users from Croatia and abroad have participated in the educational content developed within the project, both online and in physical settings.
On 31 May 2024, the consortium in charge of implementing the project BOOMER - Booming digital literacy skills among elderly population, held its third transnational meeting in Malaga, Spain. Hosted by the Spanish partner, Internet Web Solutions, the meeting took place as scheduled, and served to discuss the most relevant issues for the current state of development of the project. To open the meeting, the project platform, which already has more than 40,000 aggregated visits and is available at www.digital-boomer.eu, was presented by Internet Web Solutions, updating all the progress and achievements since the last transnational meeting. In this way, the partners were able to learn more about all the new functionalities of the platform, especially with regard to the collection of anonymous statistics that allow them to know first-hand the effectiveness of the published results. For their part, representatives from the University of Dubrovnik and the University of Zagreb reviewed the work packages already completed, those related to Training and Skills Audit respectively. The quality and usability of the results, which have already been tested by numerous representatives of the target groups, both belonging and related to the adult education system, as well as the elderly demographic segment, was highlighted. The core of the agenda, related to the validation of the content produced, and the creation of the ‘Adoption suite’, was presented by the Italian partner IDP, who outlined the next steps and presented a work plan for the last activities of the project, which will culminate in a set of guidelines for supply side users in the adult education system who wish to uptake, adapt and adopt the BOOMER outputs. Finally, after a review of the administrative aspects of the project, dissemination and quality management, the meeting ended successfully, marking a decisive step in the development of the project, which will conclude next August with a meeting hosted by the project coordinator. BOOMER is a project co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Program of the European Commission, which brings together 8 partners from 5 countries (Croatia, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain) and addresses the evident and urgent pan-European need for rapid and concrete upskilling of seniors in digital competencies. More information on BOOMER Virtual Corner: www.digital-boomer.eu