We are happy to announce the initiation of the project – IDEA: Intergenerational Dialogue for Europe Awareness funded under Erasmus+ Programme. Varna University of Management is a partner in the consortium, together with 3 youth organisations – Società Cooperativa Sociale Fuori dal Sommerso, Italy (lead partner), Inter Alia, Greece and Solution: Solidarité & Inclusion, France. The project started on 1 April 2020 and during the last week, the partners were brought together for the kick-off online meeting.

The main problem addressed by the IDEA project is the lack of dialogue and mutual understanding between the older and younger generations. In contemporary society, the question of the relationship between the young and the elderly is becoming increasingly important. Democratic societies are inclusive: ideally, all citizens should participate in the policy-making process. In practice, however, some citizens participate more than others and certain groups remain largely under-represented. The absence of dialogue between these two groups leads to not understanding each other’s needs.

IDEA project aims to stimulate intergenerational dialogue and solidarity between generations and promote European values. The partners will collect and disseminate best practices in the countries of the partnership concerning intergenerational dialogue to compare how young people and the elderly can interact to reach mutual acceptance. The project will be implemented according to the Human Library methodology.