The objective is to improve the understanding of the different generations, create respect and learn from one another. In all European countries we experience a decreasing loss of respect towards the older generation. As traditional families become fewer, the old and young don’t live together any more, having less and less contact.

We intend to address the widening gap between the generations in European communities. Assess how far it has stretched in the individual societies and how we can bridge the differences to enable a better understanding between the age groups.

The first step will be done by regular meetings with elderly people at school as well as in different institutions for senior citizens. Together with the involved institutions we will develop different activities which will not only take place throughout the two project years but will go on afterwards.

We expect that students through these regular activities will develop personal relations to the elderly. By talking and interviewing them the students not only learn about the past but also get an insight into different personal histories. Thus we expect the students to develop a greater respect for the elder people but also get a personal impression of the history of the various European countries.

To achieve the project objectives there will be co-operation with local and regional institutions (eg. visits, invitations, exchanges, shows, programmes and open days)

Students will also develop their social awareness by helping the elderly who maybe physically impaired (loss of sight, hearing or mobility) in their everyday life. This activity will probably encourage some of the students to work in such institutions in their later life.

As the situation in the participating countries is very different we hope by exchanging experiences and ideas to learn from each other’s activities. But we will also learn about the situation of senior citizens in the different societies, see which position older people have in the different cultures and thus also get a deeper insight in the everyday life in the various European countries
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Exchanging the interviews of the older people we also will get a personal impression of the past of the various countries and thus learn how the older generation experienced the political, social and cultural changes in Europe during the last century.

But students should also experience how important life long learning is and that it never stops as it can be seen in the life of the older people.

The visits in the participating countries will also involve visits to different institutions for the elderly to show the students the differences in the participating countries

The project language English is not the mother tongue in all participating countries so this will show the students the importance of learning foreign languages.

Constant use will be made throughout the whole project of ICT. The internet will not be only used to exchange the information between the participating institutions but also individual contacts between the pupils of the institutions.