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TRAMP – Transnational Mobility of Older People in Europe
I was surprised by the good cooperation between the generations.
The children and young people from the various
types of schools as well as the elderly from three European
countries got along well even without the use of words. It
was just great! After work, during culture and leisure time,
the organisers had a lot to offer in order to get to know
more about the country and people. In my opinion this
helped in a better understanding of each other and also
reduced some pre-existing prejudices. A great contribution
to a unified Europe!!! Certainly a sound and not unwelcome
side-effect of “TRAMP”: international friendships
developed which will hopefully last for a long time!!! In my
opinion, this was an actively lived Europe of citizens and
not the Europe of bureaucrats, and I certainly hope this
project has a future. It can make a difference, as statements
and reactions of the participating schools and associations
strongly prove!!! Participating in “TRAMP“ was a lot of
fun and the time spent together provided even more fun,
even without profound language skills!!!
Jürgen Gerbracht, participant in Hamm and in Prague
Vigy took a tour of the Robert Schumann
House in Scy-Chazelles. Robert Schumann
is considered one of the founding fathers of
the European Union and this introduction
caused participants to reflect on the further
development of Europe. Another issue in
Vigy dealt with the role of Lorraine between
France and Germany and its recent
history using the example of the Maginot
line.
It was considered very important to have
free time between the practical work in the
morning and the afternoon programmes.
Regeneration takes time. Participants also
considered it important to have at least one
free afternoon to explore the environment
of their own accord or to visit some of the
hosting participants at home. For most of
the elderly the exchange was the first intensive
stay in the relevant country. Informal
rounds proved stimulating to communication
processes, especially during or after the
meals together. In this context participants
particularly emphasised the barbecue evening
in Hamm. Informal rounds also ensued
after the evening meals in Vigy, not least
28 Part 1
due to the fact that, unlike other exchanges,
all participants in Vigy, including the
native participants, stayed in one place of
accommodation.
Opinions differed regarding the evening
activities. In Vigy, for instance, 8 of 30 participants
would have preferred an organised
evening programme and less free informal
time. In Hamm, however, this informal
time was welcomed and positively assessed
(the unforgettable barbecue evening). The
entire French group (with one exception)
and several participants of the German
group would have preferred to dine in restaurants
outside the town centre at least
once in a while. Others again emphasised
the amenities of the natural surroundings
and enthused in interviews about the pleasant
evening walks. Incidentally, the geographical
location was not a problem, as
most of the participants arrived in cars.
In principle it is highly recommended
that the hosting senior citizens are involved
in the planning process regarding accommodation,
catering and especially the programme
itself.
The assignment of interpreters and the
foreign language skills of some participants
The assignment of interpreters and the
German skills of some French and Czech
participants also contributed significantly
to successful communication. Abstract
issues cannot be communicated by means
of gestures, therefore interpreters and participants
with relevant language skills were
always consulted in discussions with more
complex topics. It is therefore recommended
that each national subgroup is accompanied
by at least one interpreter.
The foreign language skills of the participants
themselves certainly promoted communication
processes as well. During each
exchange there were at least one or two par-