Main Beneficiaries
Older adults and caregivers are the project’s main beneficiaries. They actively participate in participatory workshops and intergenerational learning formats, sharing lived experiences, needs, and perspectives on ageing. Their involvement ensures that the ideas and solutions developed are inclusive, user‑centred, and closely connected to real‑world challenges.
Civic and institutional stakeholders, including social professionals, community organisations, municipalities, and NGOs, are engaged throughout the project. By contributing to co‑creation processes, public dialogues, and educational activities, they bring valuable insights into systemic challenges related to care, social inclusion, and policy implementation, helping align project outcomes with local needs and priorities.
Students from a wide range of disciplines are involved through collaborative and intergenerational formats that allow them to apply and transfer knowledge and skills in both academic and future professional contexts. Their participation supports capacity‑building and contributes to the long‑term sustainability of the project’s outcomes.
Academics and researchers from health sciences, social sciences, psychology, gerontology, and related fields contribute across all project components. They provide methodological expertise, scientific guidance, and thematic input, while strengthening Africa–Europe academic dialogue and enhancing the visibility of ageing‑related research within the CIVIS Alliance.
Social Impact
The Ageing as a Journey project generates social impact by addressing the challenges of ageing through participatory, co‑creative, and transdisciplinary approaches. By actively involving older adults, caregivers, students, academics, and civic stakeholders from Europe and Africa, the project contributes to meaningful changes in practices, capacities, and societal perceptions of ageing.
For older adults and caregivers, the project offers opportunities to actively share lived experiences and to contribute to the development of responses to challenges encountered in everyday life. This active involvement fosters empowerment, social inclusion, and a stronger sense of agency, while ensuring that the solutions developed are grounded in real needs and local contexts. Intergenerational learning formats further support mutual understanding between age groups and strengthen social cohesion.
Students, researchers, and practitioners benefit from hands‑on learning opportunities that enhance critical thinking, co‑creation skills, and civic engagement. Through collaborative and transnational exchanges, participants build durable academic and professional networks while acquiring competences that can be transferred beyond the project, contributing to long‑term capacity‑building within universities and partner organisations.
By encouraging dialogue between African and European perspectives, the project raises awareness of inequalities, care practices, and diverse lived experiences of ageing. This exchange strengthens international cooperation within the CIVIS Alliance and supports the development of shared, inclusive approaches to societal challenges related to ageing.
Finally, the knowledge generated through participatory activities, teaching, and research dissemination contributes to evidence‑based approaches to ageing. These insights have the potential to inform future research agendas, local practices, and policy discussions, supporting more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable social and care systems. Overall, the project fosters lifelong learning, inclusive participation, and transnational collaboration, ensuring a social impact that is both meaningful and sustainable.
