Training course: Community Development and Intergenerational Dialogue

Location: ASHA Centre, UK

Dates: 31st May – 8th June 2016

Number of participants: 30

Community Development and Intergenerational Dialogue

Inclusiveness, participation, empowerment, cohesion are all crucial elements when seeking to build, reinforce or animate a community.  Cultivating a community spirit can be achieved through contributing together towards a common cause, but it is also about becoming more aware and active as individuals. At ASHA we believe that the practice of the arts, connecting to the land through biodynamic gardening and intercultural and intergenerational exchange are very powerful tools to make the experience of community a holistic, sustainable and enjoyable one.

This course will look particularly at intergenerational learning and dialogue as one of the means of achieving community development and cohesion. Today we are living in a world very different from that of previous generations and meeting new challenges. We are living in greater isolation from ourselves, each other and Nature. The generations are separated from each other in society more than ever before.

The central questions we will address are:

Why is intergenerational learning important in today’s society?

How can the challenges associated with increasing isolation be addressed?

How can we learn, listen and interact with each other more consciously?

How can we meet each other beyond our generational differences?

How can we empower individuals of all ages to be active in their communities?

How can we create platforms in our communities to bring together the young and the old together for the benefit of all?

Based on Non-Formal Education methods, this course will focus on key issues of community development, intergenerational learning, the arts as a tool for social cohesion and empathic communication. We will also be exploring different community models, with site visits to local communities. Participants will also be given time and support to develop their own project ideas and better understand the Erasmus+ programme.

If you wish to apply, please bear in mind that travel costs can only be reimbursed when journeying from one of the following countries:

UK, Croatia, Denmark, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Romania Slovenia and Poland