Basic principles of the G&G training approach

There are some principles on which the G&G initiative training units and materials are based on. 

 

• the “seniority” is not a a condition of arrival or completion, it is indeed a scenery of the lifelong learning frame
• the senior trainee is not only a receiver but an author itself, an authoritative contributor in the learning setting, they can refer to what they already know
• the learning motivation is strong as well as the socialization need and will
• they have time to practice autonomously and in the same time most of them need to be part of a sort of community 

 

 

but

  

• they need to be “picked up as they are”, no prerequisites and no access barriers 
• they need to learn how to do things useful for their actual life, not to go deep in abstract issues 
• they need an action of “empowerment” to overtake the digital divide inferiority feeling 
• they need little theory and a lot of exercises, repetition, trial 
• we need to overcome the teenager only allure of the net using an inter-generational knowledge transfer approach between the two groups 

 

 

so the assumptions of the G&G initiative are 

 

• the web is a good environment to train senior citizens because it has a low entrance barrier, infinite content, communication tools; in other words and a very practical utilization for every day life
• training units and materials based on net content and accessible on the web can allow both an homogeneous assisted training and a flexile autonomous exercise
• the intergenerational approach can stimulate the feeling of community, active citizenship, social involvement both in trainers than in trainees
• the very fast training activitiy will guarantee that we will not loose interest and attention; further exercise should be made possible through the organization of Internet Gym activities 

 

As prof. Dadda said in his presentaiton of the "nonni e nipoti" italian experience: the distance between the dreams and the reality is a methode, thus, the methode we adopt must be:

 

 

• well defined and quickly transfereable,
• scalable to larger numbers of enrolled people,
• adaptable to the local situation. 

 

 

A key factor of success in this initiative is to be very fast in its implementation: it is difficult to predict in advance what will be the best mechanism, it is better to begin immediately and to correct the action via a trial and error mechanism. At the beginning the best idea is to keep the local initiatives simple and costs marginal. 

Visibility can get more sponsor. There is a large need of elderly people Internet alphabetization: having large number of customers you gain visibility and having reached high money you can go back and set up a larger and better tuned offer in a positive feedback virtuous circle! 

 

 

It is interesting to remember that twice in the history young people have taught something to their parents: the first one was during the early phase of United States immigration wave, children learned English language at school and parents learned it from their children, the second time came with the Internet! Media and mouth-to-mouth messages are the key factor to get the higher visibility you can.

 

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