Discover the achievements of the 2014-2020 NPA projects
Seven years of cooperation between people, communities, and organisations across thousands of kilometres made a difference in the Northern Periphery and Arctic regions.
Browse the NPA map of results to discover our stories of cooperation. Pick a dot from the map and scroll down to read about people who have met similar minded colleagues and together found solutions for their shared challenges.
Use the +/- buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in/out or click on the regions to display the NPA project stories.
Removing barriers between generations
Young and old people learning from each other
Societal exclusion and loneliness are increasingly frequent in remote and sparsely populated regions and have significant negative impacts on physical and mental health. To contrast these phenomena, PLACE-EE has organized in Limerick County 12 workshops with an average of 60 participants split equally between young (16-17 years old) and old people (65-74 years old). At these workshops , participants examined potential barriers to access to services and causes of social exclusion within their community. Other topics included local heritage, knowledge, and culture, resulting in many stories, photographs, and memories being shared between generations and accessible through the Transnational cultural heritage archive.
To increase elderly people capacity to connect and access to information, young participants taught them how to use smart phones or tablets for online shopping or online banking. By the end of these workshops, 80% of the participants indicated that they had increased their use of technology. Pensioners agreed that having the help of patient young helpers, was of great value!
Intergenerational work is a great way to remove barriers between groups of people, to foster greater understanding and raise awareness of the unique experiences and skills that different generations can share with one another. The PLACE-EE project presented its activities and success stories in a webinar and a podcast.
Photo credit and copyright: PLACE-EE project
Prof Roger O'Sullivan
Institute of Public HealthPLACE-EE was an ambitious, transnational partnership that provided the opportunity for public health agencies, local authorities, academics, and ICT experts to work together to improve the quality of life for older people. An innovative and exciting programme, it fostered relationships and solutions and is an exemplar of how to build capacity, resilience, connectivity and engagement for and with rural communities.