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TRAMP – Transnational Mobility of Older People in Europe
they were able to readily implement their
knowledge, experiences and skills.
Interior room design, arrival and getting
to know each other
The 4 pilot exchanges revealed key moments,
which require special attention regarding
the arrangement and methodical
preparation. The experiences made in this
context showed that the organisation of the
first meeting of the participating elderly
had a significant influence on the further
course of the exchange week. A feature that
proved particularly positive could be observed
during the exchange in Oberhausen,
where posters were spread across the room
welcoming the participants in their mother
tongue and which gave them the opportunity
to articulate expectations, worries and
requests. All information was immediately
interpreted into the languages of the participants.
It would be recommendable for
future exchanges to also provide the information
in written form, e.g. in form of
slides in two or more languages depending
on the number of nationalities taking part
in order to visualise the linguistic diversity
and to do justice to all the different (learning)
types by spreading the information
onto different channels.
Language / communication
Following the analysis of the first exchange
in Hamm regarding the goals of the organisers,
it was apparent that interventions to
promote and increase the communication
between the different nationalities were necessary.
During the exchange in Oberhausen,
the second of the 4 pilot exchanges,
the focus lay on the participating pupils acting
as interpreters. In this case the youths
were pupils of a comprehensive school, older
than the children in Hamm and had,
according to their curriculum, sufficient
language skills. This intergenerational approach
was very effective, as the interest
42 Part 1
and curiosity of the youths promoted the
communication, at least in the mornings.
Furthermore, the “mini language course in
the plenum” method turned out to be motivating
and activating. Various supportive
features such as lists with tools or recipe
ingredients helped participants to accumulate
a specific application-oriented vocabulary,
which proved more efficient than
proactively learning the actual vocabulary
by themselves.
The “fluid sitting” method was successfully
tested during the fourth and final exchange
in the Czech Republic. Following
initial irritation the participants acted on
the organiser’s suggestion and took every
opportunity to change seats thus continuously
changing communication partners.
Intergenerational learning and working
During all exchanges intergenerational
learning processes took place in the mornings
via the practical work method, while
the elderly spent their afternoons without
the adolescents or children.
Given sufficient time for preparation,
this project aspect revealed that intergenerational
learning processes were in fact possible
beyond the joint work periods in the
morning. Such opportunities involve the
organisation of the afternoon programme,
which realistically can only be implemented
with the support of the involved schools
and teachers. Suggestions were made, but
could only be insufficiently tested due to
abovementioned reasons.
However, since intergenerational learning
processes usually proceed on an informal
level, the results of the learning
processes can be revealed with the help of
well-structured feedback processes. I.e., intergenerational
learning took place in an
uncontrolled, spontaneous and informal
manner and was furthered by the setting
and the “frame” method. Daily feedback