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

In a recent international online meeting organized by Deutsche Telekom Europe, HT's Nikolina Pejović presented the BOOMER project. As part of the Deutsche Telekom global network, HT (Hrvatski Telekom) plays a role in driving initiatives that align with Deutsche Telekom Europe's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets. Representing HT she showcased the project's goals, progress, and its potential impact on bridging the digital divide within the senior community. Deutsche Telekom Europe, with a dedicated ESG pillar focusing on seniors, expressed keen interest in supporting the BOOMER project. Recognizing the importance of addressing digital inclusion globally, Deutsche Telekom Europe has included the Senior pillar in its ESG and is interested in making BOOMER part of the Senior strategy. In a significant development, Nikolina Pejović has been added to the Europe task force, a group dedicated to implementing Senior pillar across other Telecom Natcos within the Deutsche Telekom network. This move underscores the commitment of both HT and Deutsche Telekom Europe to extend the positive impact of the BOOMER project and create a more digitally inclusive environment for seniors on a global scale.

On June 28th 2023 Matica umirovljenika Hrvatske, largest association of elderly persons in Croatia held gathering as part of its activities in SENIOR 2030 project. BOOMER representatives were invited to present project accomplishments and plans for future activities. Ms. Nikolina Pejović, representative of Croatian Telecom, one of BOOMER partners informed representatives of City of Zagreb, MUH presidency and participants from the target group about the activities of BOOMER project. The presentation of results from BOOMER survey spanned large interest of participants from 3rd age population. In forthcoming period BOOMER plans to launch a series of educational events through which it will help members of 3rd age population to enhance their digital skills.

On Monday, June 12, 2023, BOOMER project consortium organised round table “Digital skills in the third age” and presentation of project results at the Faculty of Economics and Business Zagreb. BOOMER aims to improve the digital skills of third age population, to bridge the intergenerational digital gap and enable the active participation of older people in everyday activities. Over 100 retirees, members of the group that BOOMER is intended for, visited the event. The results of the project were presented by prof. Nebojša Stojčić, project coordinator and director of the UNIDU CREDO research center. As he pointed out, according to the share of people of the third age with digital skills, Croatia is below the European Union average, and this population group is more exposed to the risk of disinformation, financial fraud, identity theft and similar risks in the digital environment. On the other hand, a survey conducted among pensioners from all parts of the Republic of Croatia showed that many elderly people are not only open to using digital tools, but also actively include them in their daily life for the purpose of accessing information, activities on social networks and communication with family and friends. In this sense, the BOOMER project contributes to the reduction of the intergenerational digital gap, the active participation of older citizens in everyday life, the social inclusion of digitally vulnerable social groups and the exploitation of synergies between interested participants. In the round table that followed, the Vice President of the European Commission for Demography and Democracy, Mrs. Dubravka Šuica, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Mr. Ivan Vidiš, representative of the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs, Mrs. Marija Pavlović Bolf , president of the Croatian Pensioners Association, Mr. Višnja Fortuna and Nikolina Pejović from Croatian Telecom discussed project progress and other undergoing initiatives for digital upskilling of elderly persons. Mrs. Šuica highlighted digitization as one of the priorities of the European Union and expressed her satisfaction with the practical implementation of the project so far. Other participants presented the practical experiences and initiatives of the institutions they represent aimed at improving the digital skills of people of the third age. "It was our pleasure to host a round table as part of the BOOMER project, which focuses on the digital literacy of people of the third age. Through BOOMER, we provide support and education to elderly people so that they feel safe and confident in the world of digital technologies. We will continue to work diligently to enable them to remain connected and active in this digital age," said Associate Professor. Ph.D. Mihovil Anđelinović, project manager from EFZG. "In the interest of Croatian Telekom is an educated, digitally literate population in all periods of life, especially the third age. HT has already independently launched digital literacy education projects by donating internet and laptops to homes for the elderly. The BOOMER project represents the continuity of our activities by which we say thank you to the elderly," said Nikolina Pejović , representative of Croatian Telecom in the consortium. "Being a part of the BOOMER project for Croatian Pensioners Association represents an important contribution to the development of digital technologies that will affect the standard and quality of life of the elderly and pensioners. Through the project, the Croatian Pensioners Association will continue to provide support in working with pensioners in order to increase the level of digital literacy that will facilitate their daily activities." - Višnja Fortuna, president of the Croatian Pensioners Association. More about the project: https://www.digital-boomer.eu/  

We are pleased to announce that the BOOMER Virtual Corner is now available in English on www.digital-boomer.eu! BOOMER Virtual Corner is the open educational resource (OER) platform that will host the main results of the project, and will be available for the duration of the project and even 2 years after its completion. The platform is available openly and completely free of charge, user-friendly and responsive, so that seniors can improve their digital skills in order to bridge the digital divide. Soon, the platform will also be available in German, Spanish, Croatian and Italian in order to reach a wider audience. BOOMER is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, and is developed by a consortium of 8 partners from 5 countries (Croatia, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Germany). The project has the very clear and concrete objective of contributing to the bridging of intergenerational divide, allowing active participation in everyday life of ageing citizens and promoting social inclusion of digitally vulnerable social group. Keep up to date with the project on BOOMER Virtual Corner and on the social networks Facebook and YouTube.

On September 29th, 2022, the consortium joined the Kick-Off Meeting of BOOMER – Booming digital lireracy skills among elderly population, a Project co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Program of the European Commission, which brings together 8 Partners from 5 countries (Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy and Spain), led by the University of Dubrovnik. The meeting wal held in hybrid mode in Brussels, Belgium. Over recent years social inclusion of seniors emerged as one of the most pressing priorities for EU policy makers. Negative demographic trends along with rapidly increasing penetration of digital technologies in virtually every aspect of human living have promoted elderly population (seniors) into one of most vulnerable and disadvantaged societal group. The recent COVID emergency made this even clearer. In conditions of lockdown, the sad reality of the generational digital divide has become clearly exposed. Adults in general, and among them particularly seniors, are more than ever exposed to digital isolation. This is even more worrisome as it happens in an emergency when the use of digital technologies is a must for event the most essential activities such as online shopping, banking, and access to information (including crucial and reliable health information). Low levels of digital literacy make seniors more vulnerable to cyber threats ranging from fake news to cyber-financial crimes than the rest of the population. Therefore, digital literacy can no longer be considered an advantage but a necessity for the elderly population. In this context, BOOMER addresses the evident and urgent pan-European need for rapid and concrete upskilling of seniors in digital competencies. The BOOMER consortium will contirbute to the prevention of the digital isolation of seniors in the digital age by developing the targeted training materials and making them available via the BOOMER  Virtual Corner, an open educational resource (OER) platform. The consortium formed by University of Dubrovnik (HR), University of Zagreb (HR),  IHF (BE), d-ialogo (DE), IDP (IT), IWS (ES), Croatian Telecom (HR) and MUH (HR) will work over the next 24 months to fulfil the development and implementation of the project, thus meeting BOOMER’s objectives. More information on BOOMER Virtual Corner: www.digital-boomer.eu

We are pleased to announce that the BOOMER project "Booming digital literacy skills among elderly population" has been approved in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, within the field of Adult Education. Over recent years social inclusion of seniors emerged as one of the most pressing priorities for EU policy makers. Negative demographic trends along with rapidly increasing penetration of digital technologies in virtually every aspect of human living have promoted elderly population (seniors) into one of most vulnerable and disadvantaged societal group. BOOMER tackles these issues by exploiting synergies between representatives of almost entire ecosystem aimed at bridging of intergenerational and social divide caused by digital transformation. The co-funded project, which will be developed from September 2022 to August 2024, will involve a consortium of 8 partners from 5 different countries (Croatia, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain), who will combine their knowledge and expertise to create synergies and bring the project's implementation to a successful conclusion.