About the project

Demographic change:
Demographic change is a major challenge for all partners. The baby boomer generation are going to retire within the next 5-10 years. Because of that, the partners might face a huge loss of knowledge and expertise.

Lack of skilled workers:
Organisations of youth and social work often have to face a lack of skilled workers Because of that some partners work with retired youth workers

Generational gap:
The young and experienced youth workers have diverse methods, approaches, competences… This can lead to lack of understanding or disagreements in teams and make the integration of young workers harder.

Needs

• Identifying the specific strengths of both generations and apply them
• Working towards the appreciation and recognition by all generations of their respective competences and skills
• Creating an attractive work and learning environment by preserving experiences and encouraging workers to learn about, from and with each other

Aims

• Awareness raising on intergenerational issues
• Identification of the strengths of junior and senior staff
• Optimal combination of the strengths of both generations through newly developed methods and tools
• Structural anchoring of learning outcomes or Promotion of knowledge transfer through knowledge management
• Recommendations

Target group

• Junior and senior youth and social workers
• Management staff of the organisation

Realisation

Building Bridges - Potentials & tools (IO1):

1. Identify the different strengths (knowledge, skills, working methods, or explicit/implicit) of Juniors and Seniors.
2. Determine which methods we can use to optimally apply the strengths of both generations together in our daily work.
3. Result: A framework concept that explains the strength of both target groups, the tools, the appropriate framework (activities, topics) and the impact.

Crossing Bridges - Transfer & Anchor (IO2):

1. Look at how we can capture and share the learning outcomes of IO1 in our organisations, in our everyday work.
2. How we can structurally anchor them with knowledge management.
3. Result: An implementation handbook that presents the methods and processes.

Bridging the Gap - Policy Brief (IO3):

1. Gather policy recommendations from youth and social work organisations to the European Union level, drafted with professionals from different generations for a better quality youth and social work by improving intergenerational exchanges.

Duration

March 2021 – August 2023