LOCAL Boosting Silver Economy through local community mentoring is an Erasmus+ project (KA2 Cooperation partnerships in adult education) which aims to eliminate aged-related discrimination through the development of upskilling pathways in the field of Silver Economy, Silver Entrepreneurship and Community Mentoring.
| Target group | Duration |
| Adults over the age of 50Adult Education providers | Start date: Jan. 2022 End date: Dec. 2023 |
Project results and activities
- PR1: Set-up a digital hub; identify role models among adults who have started an entrepreneurial carrier at the age of 50 or later; produce inspirational videos.
- PR2: Develop and test a blended in-service mentoring training programme to empower professionals working in AE in supporting adults to develop entrepreneurial skills.
- PR3: Develop and testing a bespoke thematic mentoring cycle addressed at engaging adults 50+ in silver economy topics and developing their digital and entrepreneurship transversal skills.
Create Local Experts Groups (LEG) in each partner country
These groups constitute an expertise board to provide feedback and validate the development of the project results and to make sure that outputs are designed having in mind the real needs of the project target groups and geographical/economic contexts.
What do you know about Silver Economy and Community Mentoring?
Silver Economy
Silver economy includes multisector activities, products and services designed to meet the demands and ambitions of people 50+. A healthy and active older population offers vast economic and societal benefits: it creates new jobs and stimulates governments to invest in strategic plans aiming at improving elderly support systems, such as housing, health care and autonomous living.
Community mentoring
Community mentoring involves volunteers within a given community providing mentor support to people from the same community. Involving mentors from backgrounds that are similar to those of the mentees, this methodology is of extreme importance in supporting socially excluded groups, like the elderly. The aim is to facilitate mentees’ self-development, contribute to improving their social networks and motivate them to achieve their goals.
Needs and challenges behind the LOCAL project
Employment rate among older workers in the EU remains lower than the average. After the age of 50, the risk of long-term unemployment increases. Many older workers face difficulties when it comes to recruitment, access to training opportunities, job transitions and age-adapted tasks. One of the main obstacle is the negative perception of older people among employees and the lack of customized training offer. LOCAL aims to overcome these obstacles, eliminating aged-related discrimination and geographical barriers. The partners recognize Silver economy along with Senior Entrepreneurship as major opportunities to prolong working lives, reduce old-age unemployment and improve social inclusion.
News from the project
The Kick-Off Meeting of the LOCAL project, approved by the Portuguese National Agency and coordinated by Amato Lusitano Associação de Desenvolvimento, was held on 25 January 2022. Partners met online to present aims and objectives of the project, outline the overall time schedule and define roles and responsibilities.
So far, partners have carried out two consultation with their Local Expert Groups, collecting precious feedbacks on the role models’ selection and the training content. After selecting local role models, partners met, on 12 July 2022, in Valladolid (ES), for the 2nd Transnational Project Meeting.
Next steps?
- Record inspirational videos with the role modelsDevelop the mentoring training programme
Develop the mentoring cycle
Stay Tunned!
