Category: Meetings

July 23 was dedicated to reflecting on the lessons learned and understanding the process of drafting the final report. Another key objective was to create a first draft of the sustainability plan.

The morning began with a welcome and onboarding session to help everyone get settled and ready for the day.

Next, there was a reflection on what had worked and what hadn’t. This activity included small group work, followed by a collective presentation and discussion of the results.

There was then a discussion of the opportunities and lessons learned from previous sessions, aiming to understand how to make the best use of what had been learned and what could have been done differently in the future.

After the lunch break, the focus shifted to aligning for the final report, discussing the differences between the various project phases and what was required for each, with particular attention to the EU platform and risk analysis.

Then the discussion turned to sustainability issues, particularly stakeholder engagement, partners, and European conversations, while also exploring alternative funding models.

Before wrapping up the day, key takeaways and conclusions were gathered for future action. The day ended with an informal dinner.

On July 24, the main objectives were to agree on the content and format of the toolkit, gain a better understanding of volunteer experiences, and discuss the next steps to strengthen the volunteer network. 

The morning began with a welcome and check-in, followed by the presentation of the toolkit, focusing on what had already been developed.

 Then, there was a discussion on what should be added to the toolkit, evaluating missing content and discussing the ideal format of the document (single document, editable, etc.), while also considering sources of inspiration.

After a brief coffee break, the results of the previous work were shared. This was followed by insights and experiences from trainers in Bologna and Lapland.

The morning concluded with a debrief, analyzing the lessons learned and actions to be taken based on volunteer feedback.

After the lunch break, a session was held on the experiences of trainers from Verificat.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to discussing the next steps for ensuring the sustainability of the volunteer network, analyzing how to strengthen, grow, and maintain it over time, while also exploring activities that could further engage volunteers.

Finally, a future success scenario was envisioned, reflecting on how such a result could be achieved, and the day ended with a final reflection.

July 25 was dedicated to defining the strategy for disseminating the toolkit and discussing the content and design of the dedicated website, concluding with a final summary of the actions to be taken.

The morning began with a brief welcome and check-in.

Then, work focused on defining the toolkit dissemination strategy, analyzing the target audience and discussing ways to share it (events, meetings, online), while also identifying potential forms of support.

After the lunch break, the afternoon focused on the content and design of the website dedicated to the toolkit.

The day and the entire work cycle concluded with a final summary and closing of the activities.

In July we hosted the first round of train the trainers’ sessions with our volunteers in Bologna.

It was interesting in many ways. They had the opportunity to share their different approaches when reading news and we felt enriched by interacting with them, discovering different points of view (mostly age-based) and collecting useful inputs to understand what misinformation means to us and how it affects our daily life, especially in decision-making processes.

We went through a first phase of scanning, listening to their doubts and questions. The main concern of the volunteers was about dealing with online scams and how to develop a conscious way of reading news about healthcare. They highlighted how Covid19 spread misinformation about healthcare, and how tricky it is to deal with conflicting news about vaccines, etc.

After that, we worked on a practical session together, where participants were able to apply fact-checking techniques to experience lateral reading and fact-checking itself.

The variety of inputs and the combination of a theorical and practical approach were key to help participants better understand how to apply fact-checking in their daily lives and be willing to teach them to their peers.

We recently had an exciting and productive workshop to kick off the SUM project. The focus was on building a common language and getting to know each other, as well as identifying topics of interest and discussing tools and processes to work together. Our partners shared their experiences and insights, with Housatonic providing valuable tips on organizing effective workshops, Verificat sharing their expertise in elder training, and Lapland offering insights from their benchmarking research on media literacy programs for seniors around the world.

Presenting the experiences of each partner

Live scribing of the main discussions

By the end of the workshop, we achieved some key outcomes: we established roles and responsibilities, developed an action plan, created an elevator pitch, defined the toolkit’s index and the website’s structure and content. But the most important outcome was the strong sense of collaboration and shared purpose that emerged between the partners. 

Housatonic’s visually summary of SUM’s scope, goals and challenges. 

We are committed to creating a fun and safe learning environment through cocreation. While our primary focus is on seniors, their needs and concerns, we are inviting people of all ages to join us in this effort to build a more trustworthy and resilient society.

As we move forward, we are excited to continue working closely with our partners and stakeholders to develop and refine our approach. We are also eager to engage with other organizations who share our vision and want to be part of the solution to the challenge of information and mistrust. Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of seniors and in society as a whole.