We (PP8 of the RDI2Club project) would like to present our experiences, concerning working with seniors and promoting bioeconomy among citizens of the region in order to encourage other partners to involve this age group in their initiatives.
In Świętokrzyskie, changing society’s view via various way of promoting bioeconomy and gaining their support is crucial for the success of any bioeconomy-related initiatives in the near future. Youth and seniors are the key players in implementing this societal change as people in productive age are generally preoccupied with other activities, like obtaining income and maintaining the household. Interestingly, PP8 RDI2CluB team investigated that many senior citizens in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship are socially active and open to new ideas they can get involved in. They are also very keen on trends, referring to the traditions of earlier generations, e. g. ecological and traditional solutions in food production.
In October 2019 a three-day , senior-dedicated event took place in Kielce, i.e. the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship. Its final was the 1st International Senior Expo – an initiative which presents a wide offer for this age group in a very entertaining and agreeable manner. Therefore, the PP8 team decided to use this occasion to introduce bioeconomy to seniors through RDI2CluB project.
During the Expo, the RDI2CluB stand was located within the Marshal Office’s exhibition stand. Thanks to this the participation was almost cost-free. The idea of bioeconomy itself had to be presented in a senior-friendly form. Therefore, the promotion had a form of discussions with enthusiasts of bioeconomy from the PP8 team, interactive game on proper waste sorting, traditional food tasting on biodegradable dishes, as well as providing educational materials (leaflets), fitted to the needs of seniors (large font, simple style). The senior participants were thoroughly instructed about nature-friendly behaviors and, most of all, they were made aware that many of those activities have already been a part of their everyday lives. Thus, they felt that they also constitute bioeconomy of the region.
The results exceeded the PP8 team’s expectations. Senior citizens turned out to be very interested with the idea. An anonymous survey, conducted during the Expo, has proven that they have got good knowledge of bioeconomy (great majority of results was 80% or more). Many seniors wanted us to visit their neighbourhood and talk about bioeconomy and nature-friendly behaviours. We hope, that thanks to such initiatives we can inspire seniors to implement ecological principles into everyday life and spread the idea of bioeconomy among their friends and family. It may be also helpful in finding potential local leaders for grass-root activities in the bioeconomy in other age groups.
Dear Biobord users, what are your experiences, concerning working with seniors? Do you have any how ideas to involve them in other actions, connected with RDI2CluB project? How can we make promotion and the project itself seem less formal and more recipient-friendly?
The PP8 team
Watch our video from the Senior Expo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWABk_OgZGM