AHEAD Project -TrAining High tEch seniors for Discovery has two main aims. The first is to develop, test and bring into general use an holistic approach to active ageing based on senior citizens' travelling experiences. The second aim, linked to the first, is to equip senior travellers with the ICT skills that will enable them to use their travels as the basis of an innovative learning experience for young people through a dedicated user-friendly APP. This is the experience in England with the project by the University of DurhamIt has been funded by the LLP Programme 539996-LLP-1-2013-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP AHEAD - Agreement 2013-3642

1. Durham
Business
Model

2. March 2015 – our first group visits
Durham Cathedral

3. Stakeholders
• Age Uk
• University of the Third Age
• Durham University
• Northumbria University
• Beamish Museum

4. Our 89-
year-old
guide has
the group
entranced
by her
stories
about the
Cathedral.

5. Seniors try to use the App.
For each of our groups the
first two sessions filled
them with enthusiasm, but
using the App was more
challenging.
Having learned how to tell
digital stories, many used
other more familiar
software to present them.

6. People were
full of praise
for the tablet,
which they
found could
take good
quality
photographs –
including
selfies!

7. They looked at places from a different
perspective

8. Client group
• Seniors who no longer work full-time or have
retired completely
• Organisations which support seniors – Age UK,
University of the Third Age
• Local tourist attractions – museums, ancient
buildings, cities and towns

9. Value
• Engages seniors
• Develops their ability to use a tablet
• Fosters group work
• Develops friendships
• Has long-term benefits – three seniors have
contacted us to share presentations they have
subsequently produced

10. Sustainability
• Email addresses shared so that seniors can
maintain contact
• There have been meetings with some past
group members
• We have loaned the tablets to former group
members to take on holiday to record their
stories.

11. Channels of communication
• Most seniors with whom we have worked are
regular users of email
• Many use Skype to communicate with family
• They enjoy face-to-face meetings
• Online communication is fine, but does not
fulfil their desire to socialise.

12. Key Activities
• Developing seniors’
abilities to take good
photographs
• Discussing and trying out
different story-telling
techniques
• Sharing ways of recording
stories
• Gaining familiarity with the
tablet
• Using the App.

13. A range of participants
• Recent retirees
• People who have been retired for many years
• Single people
• Couples
• Those with advanced IT skills
• Those with limited IT skills

14. ICT USAGE
Happy to take photos
Unsure about new technology,
but ready to learn.
Sharing her love of
Scotland
Helping others know
about local social history
GOALS
Female, 62 years old, has 4 grown-up
children and several grandchildren. She
rarely travels now.
BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS
Needs support Self-directive
ICT-learning style
Independent Group
Travelling style
Seldomly Often
Travelling frequency
OPPORTUNITIES
Keen to find out more
about what she could do
with simple ICT tools
Would love to use ICT to
share her knowledge of
Scotland and history
Not sharing Sharing actively
Sharing travel photos/experiences
Not interested Very interested
Sharing travel experiences
publicly
Maria
Maria has been retired a few
years, and is the carer for her
husband who is in poor health.
Maria has a wide circle of friends
and acquaintances. She is a lay
preacher, to which she devotes a
great deal of her spare time. She
loves Scotland and has many
happy memories of trips there.
‘I love social history, finding out about how people used to live.’
‘I’d love to share my memories of travels in Scotland with people
who have never been there.’
Inserisci foto dal web
Con il supporto del
Programma Grundtvig
dell’Unione Europea

15. ICT USAGE
Limited to simple texts and
emails
Needs someone to teach her how
to get more out of ICT, and make
it rewarding
Learning better ways of
keeping in touch with her
family
Being helped to learn,
and growing in
confidence
GOALS
Female, aged 72. Her husband died a few
years ago. Travels by train to visit family
two or three times a year.
BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS
Needs support Self-directive
ICT-learning style
Independent Group
Travelling style
Seldomly Often
Travelling frequency
OPPORTUNITIES
Would find it really good if
ICT helped her widen her
own circle of friends and
acquaintances
Not sharing Sharing actively
Sharing travel photos/experiences
Not interested Very interested
Sharing travel experiences
publicly
Barbara
When Barbara’s family were
younger, she and her husband
had a number of family holidays
in France, which she loved. She
uses her smartphone to keep in
touch with her many
grandchildren, but only for texts
and emails.
‘I’m quite a shy person really. But if I knew how to make better use
of communications technology I really think I’d get a lot out of it.’
Inserisci foto dal web
Con il supporto del
Programma Grundtvig
dell’Unione Europea

16. ICT USAGE
Limited at present to a mobile
phone for calls and texts.
Has seen others using
smartphones and tablets and is
really keen to find out how to
use them himself
Increasing his use of ICT
Learning how to find out
information
Joining a group of people
and sharing ideas
GOALS
Michael, aged 65, has no immediate family
and loves his work, enjoying the
companionship that gives him.
BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS
Needs support Self-directive
ICT-learning style
Independent Group
Travelling style
Seldomly Often
Travelling frequency
OPPORTUNITIES
Really believes he could go
far in learning new ICT
tools.
Not sharing Sharing actively
Sharing travel photos/experiences
Not interested Very interested
Sharing travel experiences
publicly
Michael
Michael works full time as a bus
driver and has lived in the same
town for the last 30 years. He
loves learning about the history
of transport. Over the last 50
years, Michael has travelled
extensively but rarely does now.
‘I’d love to learn how to surf the internet. I bet I’d find out far
more than I do only from books. And the idea of being in contact
with people all over the world excites me. I just need to be shown
how.’
Inserisci foto dal web
Con il supporto del
Programma Grundtvig
dell’Unione Europea

17. From the perspective of a training organization/ association offering services to seniors
Partnership with tourism agencies
• Keeping up to date with
technology
• Portable and ubiquitous
computing
• Learning community
• Social aspect
• Shared experience
• Storytelling
Tour Guides
• Networking
• Engaged participants
• Target groups for further
programmes