Project Next Door’s German propagation of the awareness-raising efforts have seen a successful display through interactive, innovative and novel community-building exercises. In an attempt to increase awareness among neighbours and community workers on how they can contribute to a neighbourhood network supportive of the needs of senior citizens, ACEEU garnered admiration for the cause through the cosy, casual and informative sessions during the festive season.
Prior to the start of the Christmas holidays, members of the ACEEU team went old school, walking through a neighbourhood popular for students to present one-on-one the cause of the project, how they can contribute and finally shared a Christmas card with important links to Next Door’s digital platform and website and asked the students to write their Christmas greetings and share it with their grandparents or other elderly members.
In a second awareness activity, participants were taken along on a neighbour walking tour and asked to pay keen attention to the social infrastructure in Münster and the elements which create (or not) an atmosphere conducive to an age-friendly and socially cohesive city. The following day, Project Next Door was presented in greater detail to the same group and they were asked to build further ideas on their own role in creating such age-friendly neighbourhoods.
In the final awareness raising activity, participants gathered for a session of coffee, cake and story-telling in a café, where everyone including German and international students, care workers in nursing homes and a doctor from palliative care shared their own experiences with good practices in age-friendly neighbourhoods and why it is important to join efforts to create the space for more meaningful interactions between different generations and age groups.
Stay up-to-date with project Next Door here: https://www.nextdoor-project.org/
Photo credits: Canva
