The online European Seminar entitled " Bridging the Generational Digital Divide in Adult Education in the EU” was organized with great success by the Educational Organization DIMITRA on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
In the seminar were discussed innovative learning tools aimed at enhancing the ability of adults to use digital media effectively as a prerequisite for improving their personal and professional lives, significantly reducing the trend of digital divisions between generations as developed under the ERASMUS + project - Digital Inclusion of Low Skilled Adults.
Specialist and scientists from Greece, Sweden, Romania and Italy presented and highlighted the digital divide between the generations, as the pandemic, among other things, showed a rapid increase in this gap.
All speakers agreed that in the post-pandemic period, local communities and states should take concrete initiatives to integrate older people, further exploiting and strengthening their social structures, to encourage digital literacy, understanding the reality of the internet, while online transactions can be easy, reliable and secure, bridging any gap.
Digital literacy is essential for the lives of older people in the EU in a digitized world. Individuals must be educated at all ages and acquire the basic as well as advanced digital skills in an economy and society that is constantly being transformed. At the time of the health crisis, older people felt the need more than ever to connect with their loved ones (grandchildren, children and friends), to ask for reliable information on health issues that were and will be up to date, to negotiate through new technologies (product markets and banking).
The required strengthening education and training structures, best practices and organizational changes, through innovation and resources available, can help older people out of social isolation, making the internet more friendly and more accessible to all.