Beyond fifty five - Creative opportunities for people in transition

"<< Background >>""Creative thinking and action is an important aspect of change. It opens up new perspectives and possibilities for life change"". Maria Otterbein, Kulturring Berlinbeyond fifty five was born out of a long-term desire to develop adult education across the Kulturring institution and to have inspiring educational activities that could be done with the many people over fifty-five involved in cultural work, who have been hit hard by social isolation, threatened to be left behind in an ever-changing and accelerating digitalisation in recent years. We were delighted to find an adult education partner from the Swedish island of Öland - Ölands Folkhögskola - who were keen to work on ideas together.We are both motivated by social issues, cross-generational learning and by working with personal stories. It seemed appropriate to apply for a small European partnership - an intimate approach to have a concrete incentive and funding to help work on new ideas, to hear and learn from each other, and to work at the intersection of social interaction, digitality and creativity.<< Objectives >>beyond fifty five focused on supporting people through transitions - whether they were looking for work, retiring, managing complex life changes or feeling adrift in today's media landscape. By creating personal stories based on a variety of digital formats, participants were able to reflect on their past, engage with their present and envision a possible future. Sharing these stories fostered self-exploration, strengthened connections and inspired mutual growth.The aims of the project were> Encourage creativity and community engagement by producing content that inspires basic multimedia projects based on personal experience and teamwork.> Promote digital inclusion and communication by enabling participants to adapt to digital changes and ensure they remain socially connected.> Empower individuals and encourage active participation by providing a trusted environment for sharing within their groups and beyond.> Experience a slice of Europe by comparing the contrasts and similarities between a rural Swedish island and the urban landscape of the German capital.<< Implementation >>The core activities of the project included the development of educational resources, the refinement of these materials through collaborative workshops, and the dissemination of experiences and results among different groups, educators, partner organisations and established European networks. The educational content included background on the project approach, a learner's survival guide, technical assistance and information on privacy/data protection. Central to this were workshop sheets based on four key themes- ""Room with a view"" (showing and comparing a view from home)- “Lieblingsorte/Favourite places"" (exploring and presenting one's neighbourhood)- “Video intros” (creating short, dynamic self-introductions)- “Artificial realities” (experimenting with and understanding artificial intelligence)The materials have been designed with simplicity and accessibility in mind, to engage and inspire learners of all backgrounds and skill levels.<< Results >>Working and reflecting together: 98 project workshops in Berlin and Öland, 5 transnational meetings with the institutions leaders and project managers, thematic Kulturring week “Room with a view” across all 15 institutionsCreation of open European educational resources: 51 documents in English, German and Swedish were published on a CC 4.0 license. The project produced and printed a 28 page promo booklet and published 14 videos produced by the participants.- Project website with all documents: www.beyond.kulturring.berlin- YouTube playlist with project videos: https://lmy.de/ctmPw Promoting the project and taking it further: 4 exhibitions in Öland, 2 articles in the Kulturring magazine kultur.txt, online promotion on https://olandsfolkhogskola.se, www.kulturring.berlin, https://www.instagram.com/olandsfolkhogskola/, https://www.instagram.com/kulturring.berlin/, https://www.instagram.com/fotogalerie.friedrichshainThe project has been made known within the network of the Swedish Folkhögskola, the Öland region and the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick. The project's ideas are included in the new Öland courses and 7 workshops have already been held as part of the Kulturring's national volunteer programme (BFD)."