AGE-FRIENDLY TOOLKIT Webinar #4: Social inclusion and cooperation

While celebrating increased life expectancy, we must acknowledge that this reality, coupled with the ongoing European and global crises encompassing wars, economics, environment, and health, poses – and will pose in the years to come - new challenges for both age-friendly cities and educational systems. Within this context, stakeholders in vocational education and training (VET) concur on the fact that the demands of longevity and demographic transition require cultivating novel professional roles and skill sets.

In response to these needs, the AGE-FRIENDLY TOOLKIT project has formulated a training curriculum for a ground-breaking role: the "Reference Professional for Inclusive Ageing in Age-Friendly Cities" and produced a collection of accessible educational resources (learning content and educational app). These resources are meant to be integrated into vocational education and training systems while remaining freely accessible on the internet. They will become available in the second half of 2024.

To prepare the learning content, the project team organised five international workshops in cooperation with SIRENE and NET4Age-Friendly. Experts from both activities actively participated in the workshops and provided their inputs.]

According to the World Health Organization, social inclusion refers to the active participation and involvement of older people in the social, cultural, economic, and political life of their communities. It is essential for combating social isolation and loneliness, which are common problems among older people, particularly those with limited mobility or social networks. It also enables older people to remain connected to their communities and maintain a sense of purpose and dignity in their later years. This module will support the age-friendly professional in promoting social inclusion in communities.