First Event – May 23, 2025
GEAC organized on May 23, 2025, the first multiplier event for the European DigitalScouts project results, which took place in the heart of the Romanian Capital, Bucharest, starting at 11:00 AM. The event brought together representatives from public institutions in the social field, civil society, seniors, and young people interested in volunteering opportunities.
After the welcome coffee and participant registration, the event was opened by Iuliana Iliescu and Radu Meiroșu, who presented the DigitalScouts project results, among which the DigitalScouts Toolkit and Platform.
An important moment of the event was the presentation of the City & Co project in Romania, delivered by Loredana Ivan, project coordinator and university professor at SNSPA, Faculty of Communication and Public Relations, Department of Communication, who explained what an age-friendly city means, and the evaluation methodology developed in the City & Co project.
Examples of Good Practices in Senior Digitalization
The segment dedicated to examples of good practices included valuable presentations from three speakers:
Iuliana Iliescu spoke about the PAARnet network and the visit made by representatives of the DigitalScouts project consortium to Vilnius, offering an international perspective on senior digitalization.
Manuela Arpinte, from the Royal Margaret Foundation of Romania, presented the senior digitalization program following the Hi Digital methodology, developed by the Vodafone Foundation. This program promotes the acquisition of digital skills as a real solution for improving the quality of life of seniors in Romania, social inclusion, and promoting active aging.
Andreea Stefan, from the Day Center for seniors of the CARP Omenia Association, spoke about the digitalization workshops for seniors who are members of the CARP Omenia club, providing concrete examples of practical implementation.
The event continued with an intergenerational working group session on the topic “What does participatory and healthy aging mean? Challenges and opportunities in Romania,” followed by the presentation of results and conclusions. The program ended with a light lunch networking session, facilitating the continuation of discussions in an informal setting.
Second Event – July 9, 2025
The second multiplier event took place on July 9, 2025, bringing together over 20 invited guests from public institutions specialized in social assistance. Among the participants were representatives from the General Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC) from Bucharest, specifically DGASPC District 2 and District 6, as well as from the General Directorate of Social Assistance of Bucharest Municipality (DGASMB).
A particularly valuable aspect of this event was the presence of seniors, members of the senior clubs of the mentioned DGASPCs and the Day Center for elderly persons Perla (DGASMB), who brought the direct perspective of digitalization programme beneficiaries.
Program of the Second Event
Radu Meiroșu from GEAC presented the DigitalScouts project results, highlighting digital opportunities and services for improving quality of life at the silver age. The presentation emphasized the importance of digital participation as an essential condition for improving quality of life in today’s world.
Odile Turcu, from the Silver Dawn Association, presented the SeniorFit program, dedicated to active and healthy aging in Romania, demonstrating the complementarity between digitalization and physical activity for a healthy lifestyle at the silver age.
The event also included the presentation of the Senior Card program by Radu Meiroșu, a program with beneficial impact on retired seniors and small and medium enterprises in Romania, illustrating how technology can facilitate access to services and economic opportunities.
All in all the two multiplier events brought together approximately 40 participants in total, demonstrating the growing interest in senior digitalization and the need for an integrated approach between the public sector, civil society, and the senior community.
Context
The European DigitalScouts project aims to develop an educational program dedicated to training “digital scouts” – people who support seniors in using digital tools. The project consortium partners developed a complete set of training tools, including methodology, curriculum, training materials, validation and certification tools, training platform, and a training toolkit. All of these are dedicated to facilitators and providers in the field of adult education who wish to support elderly citizens in using digital tools and opportunities.