29.03.2022

Erasmus+ project helps tackle the loneliness of the elderly

EAEA is taking part in newly launched Erasmus+ project COPE which examines how cultural activities can alleviate the loneliness and social isolation of older people.

During the lockdown period of COVID-10 pandemic, older people with limited opportunities for social exchange were especially affected by loneliness. European-level research shows that about 25% of the participants who engaged in cultural prescribing felt lonely only half of the time compared to the time prior to the activities.

This is where the “Culture on Prescription” approach comes in. Building on the concept of social prescribing, already well established in the UK and Ireland, “Culture on prescription in Europe” (COPE) project examines how newly developed cultural activities in adult education can address the loneliness and social isolation of older people.

Supported by the Erasmus+ funding programme of the European Union and led by Germany’s Institute for Applied Social Research, Social planning and Policy Advice (ISIS) in Frankfurt am Main, project partners from Portugal, Romania, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany will join forces in COPE.

The project will implement COPE pilot courses to evaluate how cultural activities and mental health promotion can best be combined, and provides older people with a personalized “Cultural Prescription” for taking part in new and custom-made activities. These pilot activities will be developed locally by the COPE project partners together with professional facilitators with expertise in arts and culture.

More information about COPE:
Christin Cieslak, christin.cieslak [at] eaea.org

co-funded by Erasmus+ programme logo

14.11.2024 ABC of ALE

ABC of ALE: Annual training for adult educators focuses on grassroots Adult Education initiatives

In October 2024, EAEA organised the “ABC of ALE” training programme in Brussels, an introductory capacity-building workshop that delved into Adult Learning and Education (ALE) as a historic concept, movement, and transformative tool in society. The training targeted entry and mid-level professionals in the field, with the view to provide them with an overview of the concept of non-formal adult learning and education, linking it to both theory and practice.

14.11.2024 advocacy

EAEA’s induction at the IACE Hall of Fame: This award is for everyone active in EAEA

At the beginning of November, EAEA took part in the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame (HoF) conference and its induction ceremony in the impressive settings of the University of Florence.

08.11.2024 sustainability

SMALEI Digital Academy kicks off with high-level discussion

"We need to have the drive for everyone to get involved in it" stated Gustav Fridolin concerning sustainability and providing internal strategies in various organisations, during the first SMALEI Digital Academy Talks webinar on the environmental sustainability  of adult education institutions.