Change Household Attitudes for a Non-wasteful, Green environment and Energy-consciousness addressing Rural Seniors

<< Background >>Europe's population is getting older while households are responsible for approx. ¼ of the final energy consumption. In addition, older people are more vulnerable to poor housing conditions including energy poverty, therefore, special attention should be paid to them. The necessity to raise awareness among those who have less opportunity to learn about sustainable households (especially rural senior citizens) was clear.In C.H.A.N.G.E.R.S. E+ project 4 partners exchanged their knowledge on topics of sustainability. The project could not provide the opportunity for adaptation to seniors. Thus, the original partnership decided to implement a follow-up project, i.e., C.H.A.N.G.E.R.S.-2.0 as we identified a need for flexible, non-formal and tailor-made training opportunities for rural seniors. The partnership was completed with new organizations working with seniors. Besides creating materials in digital format, we wanted to provide other types of training opportunities by applying two different methodologies for knowledge transfer customised for seniors: learning in local workshops and learning together with younger generations which also mitigates the gap between age groups in terms of access to and use of modern ICT.<< Objectives >>The main objective of C.H.A.N.G.E.R.S.-2.0 was to develop a set of targeted training materials for rural seniors to improve their access to adult learning opportunities on specific topics which can help them fight against climate change and energy poverty, and contribute to sustainability. We also wanted to create methodologies and toolkits to support the knowledge transfer with two different approaches (advantage of local proximity and transgenerational approach) addressing the special needs of this social group. By improving senior citizens’ knowledge, they can live a more sustainable life and can be encouraged to implement energy-efficient and renewable-based home improvements. We also wanted to promote inclusion and diversity in education by preparing tailored materials for 65+ seniors as this target group often falls out of the scope of the available training opportunities by living in the countryside or having lower IT skills. We wanted to involve senior organizations in the output development to be able to meet the elderly people’s real needs. All in all, we wanted to improve the knowledge on green and sustainable household topics of seniors, especially in the rural areas, and to give useful tools for target agents.<< Implementation >>The project consisted of 4 work packages focusing on project management (WP1), sharing and promotion (WP2), methodology development on knowledge transfer (WP3), and learning material and toolkit development (WP4).The partnership organised physical and virtual partner meetings, monitored the project progress, and ensured proper time and budget management to ensure the smooth project implementation.Under sharing and promotion, the partners created, translated and shared several promotional materials to increase the impact of the project and inform the target groups and the wider public about the project. In addition, different physical and virtual promotional and networking events were organised to reach out to the target groups. The methodology development covered two approaches: the partnership elaborated a thorough methodology for teaching seniors on sustainable and green household topics locally. On the other hand, the partnership approached these topics from transgenerational aspects which made this project unique and innovative by ensuring training material and toolkit development considered the special needs of rural seniors in WP4. The developed materials were validated via piloting activities in four countries.<< Results >>Two methodologies were developed following different approaches. The first methodology helps the target agents train seniors and organise physical events for them locally on topics which encourage and empower them to manage a more sustainable lifestyle. The second methodology focuses on the transgenerational approach covering gamification. These methodologies guided the work done in learning material and toolkit development. As a result, 7 comprehensive training materials were developed tailored to the needs of seniors on topics which help this cohort adapt to climate change and empower them to act responsibly. Thematic board games, comics, puzzles, word searches and a memory game were developed to facilitate mutual learning between different generations in an entertaining way. These games are suitable for clubs, senior homes, and families, can be printed at low cost ensuring their wider utilisation. Two toolkits summarise the developed outputs and guide the target groups. Press releases, short news, an article, social media posts, a leaflet and a brochure were created among others. Several promotional and networking events were organised including webinars in the partner countries, and an international conference was also held.