* Editorial: Active Ageing of Migrant Elders across Europe Ladies and Gentlemen, Europe greatly benefits from migrant elders. We will have to acknowledge that the generation of migrant elderly people has made a major contribution towards European development and integration. The increasing extent of cross-border migration of older people ? often from Northern Europe to the South of Europe ? and the rising number of cross-border commuters highlight the fact that elderly people's mobility has grown considerably throughout Europe. As a result, the diversity of the older population groups is set to further increase. More than hitherto, attention must therefore be focussed on the outstanding social, cultural and economic opportunities that are thus opening up to Europe. Armin Laschet Minister for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (MGFFI NRW) Highlights ++ Good-Practice Competitions on Active Ageing and Integration of Migrant Elders: Call for contributions ++ Register now for the 1st European Conference on "Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities" in Bonn (Germany), 30 September ? 2 October 2008 ++ Join the European Research Network on ?Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders? * Contact Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (MGFFI NRW) Dr. Claus Eppe Phone 0049 (0) 211 8618 3320 Fax: 0049 (0) 211 8618 5 3320 E-mail: info@aamee.eu * Contents * Contact 1 * Contents 2 * Section One: Overview 2 +01: European Project "Active Ageing of Migrant Elders across Europe" - Outline 2 * Section Two: 1st European Conference "Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities" 3 +02: Programme and Workshops 3 * Section Three Good-Practice Competitions 5 +03: Good-Practice Competitions 5 * Section Four: European Research Network 6 +04: European Research Network on ?Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders? 6 * Section Five: Policy 6 +05: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 6 * End Notes 7 +06: Contact 7 +07: Disclaimer 7 * SEN@ER Partner Regions 8 * European SEN@ER Secretariat 9 ------------------------ * Section One: Overview +01: European Project "Active Ageing of Migrant Elders across Europe" - Outline As one consequence of demographic change the proportion and diversity of migrant elder population groups is on the rise and will become ever more prominent throughout Europe in the years to come. Europe greatly benefits from this fact and needs to acknowledge that migrant elders have made major contributions to European development and integration. Thus more than hitherto, the attention of supranational, national, regional and local authorities and initiatives must be focussed on the outstanding social, cultural and economic achievements, chances and opportunities owned and being generated by migrant elders within Europe. The key elements of the European project "Active Ageing of Migrant Elders across Europe (AAMEE)" are to improve the quality of life of migrant elders; to promote their social, cultural and economic integration; to encourage volunteer activities for and by migrant elders as well as to stimulate and to detect the economic and employment generating potentials inherent in the emergence of new culturally sensitive products and services concerning e.g. housing, social services, leisure and cultural activities, marketing for migrant elders. The project has been launched in response to the impact of demographic change as one of the greatest challenges facing the European Union and a key element to promote economic and social inclusion within the EU. Within the growing group of elders, minority ethnic and migrant elders have become an important new target group. They also have a great deal of potential and competence especially regarding their contribution to society, notably as volunteers, but also as workers and regarding cultural and economic potential. The AAMEE project comprises of the following activities: * Two European good practice competitions "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders in Europe", adressing a) voluntary organisations and b) local authorities and NGOs - for further details on the competition criteria please refer to the www.aamee.eu website * The 1st European conference "Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities", 30 September - 2 October, 2008, venue World Conference Centre Bonn http://www.worldccbonn.com * Six good practice exchange programmes for voluntary organisations from different European countries; * The development of a checklist on how to stimulate and strengthen voluntary work of and with migrant elders in Europe; * A good practice booklet containing recommendations for new activities and initiatives concerning active ageing for migrant elders within Europe; * The adoption and implementation of a research agenda and the establishment of a scientific research network; * The adoption of a memorandum formulating guidelines and principles on how to sensitise societies and governments for the concerns as well as potentials of migrant elders.. All activities will be documented on the website www.aamee.eu The AAMEE project aims at generating a broad basis of actors - e.g. NGOs, voluntary organisations, local authorities, researchers, policy makers and supporters from various economic areas - from all over Europe. The AAMEE project is funded by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission within the ENEA programme (VP/2007/009 ENEA). The project has been initiated and is co-financed by the Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (MGFFI NRW). Further information can be obtained from the website http://www.aamee.eu * Section Two: 1st European Conference "Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities" +02: Programme and Workshops The 1st European Conference "Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities" will take place from 30 September 2008 - 2 October 2008 at the World Conference Center Bonn www.worldccbonn.com), the former building of the German parliament (Bundestag). The programme outline is as follows: * 30 September 2008: Reception by the Lord Mayor of the City of Bonn * 1 October 2008: Key Conference Day on World Senior Citizens' Day with plenary and workshops. * 2 October 2008: 2nd Conference day with reports from the workshops, the best practice awards ceremony and the adoption of the memorandum The following target groups are envisaged: * A total number of 350-500 delegates from EU member countries * A wide international circle from the political, business, voluntary, legal and academic sectors and the relevant communities at large will be approached. * Measures will be taken to reach a high proportion of immigrant delegates. To do so, relevant NGOs and voluntary organisations are kindly invited to actively participate in the conference. as migrant elders are subject but not object of the Conference. No distinction will be made between "us" and "them". Content of the Conference and Workshops The Conference will be balanced between theory and practice: * Theory: papers delivered by experts on politics and research * Practice: good practice examples from the EU Member States The following forums will be held: * Forum 1: Volunteer activities, community involvement and political participation * Forum 2: Housing * Forum 3: Different Forms of Migration of Elders * Forum 4: Care and Health Services * Forum 5: ICT * Forum 6: Education, Leisure, Culture * Forum 7: Studies * Forum 8: Marketing * Forum 9: Gender Roles The nine forums will be organised by international moderators. In each forum the key theme will be highlighted by academic specialists as well as by professional experts working in the various fields of interest. Each forum will have an appropriate academic lecture as keynote speech. This will be followed by the presentation of good practice examples highlighting their particular strengths and coming form all over the EU Member States.. Forum 1: Volunteer activities, community involvement and political participation In many EU Member States, minority ethnic and migrant elders have an unknown potential regarding their engagement in volunteer activities and social responsibilities. It is necessary to make their potential input clear and to test out new forms of (cross-cultural and) intergenerational participation. A special focus of this forum will be laid on organisations of ethnic minorities and their input of volunteer activities. Furthermore, possibilities of political participation and participation in associations and other bodies and committees will be discussed. Forum 2: Housing Housing will also be a main focus of the conference. Most elders wish to stay in their flats and houses as long as possible, regardless whether their background is indigenous or that of a minority ethnic group. A wide range of activities can be offered to support this: outpatient care and support services, advice on barrier-free or barrier-reduced home adaptations, care & repair, response services, advice concerning so called new forms of housing (such as flat sharing communities or intergenerational housing projects) or housing-related services such as cleaning, repair and delivering services, meals on wheels etc. However, there are special needs of minority ethnic elders, which are often not met. There is still a lack of cultural sensitive support systems. Solutions for instance include housing schemes for people who commute between two countries and homes and housing estates suitable for a variety of age-groups. Other EU Member States, for instance Great Britain, have extensive experience in the field of sheltered housing schemes for minority ethnic people. Forum 3: Different Forms of Migration of Elders Another key theme will be the migration of elders on different levels and the relevant social, political and economic implications for the countries in question. The various population movements going on across the European Union in the context of population ageing are partially observed but not yet fully understood. Some of this migration is international as people move across national boundaries, and some takes place within individual Member States. All forms of migration create opportunities and challenges. International migration in the European Union (EU) context involves people coming into the EU from other parts of the world and people moving within the EU between states. These diverse movements raise diverse strategy issues for both exporting and receiving territories, and the experience and situation of migrating communities and individuals are also diverse. There are specific issues for older people, some of whom are moving, and others who are experiencing change going on around them whilst they remain static themselves. Forum 4: Care and Health Services Compared to indigenous elders, the need for care starts a lot earlier for minority ethnic elders. That is due to their worse general state of health and lesser satisfaction with their own health. Many (mainly Islamic) minority ethnic elders tend to prefer carers of their own sex. The training of carers needs culturally sensitive adjustment so that the changing needs of both those in need of care and those relatives who act as carers can be accommodated, with adequate support networks available. In many countries, family structures of minority ethnic groups are still more secure for immigrants compared to indigenous families. Care for migrant elders therefore is more commonly provided by their families, but this is changing. Often there is a lack of information about provision in terms of outpatient or inpatient treatment. Owing to the limited demand there are only a few facilities that are suitable for minority ethnic elders. In the near future such care is unlikely to be sufficiently provided by the family support systems, and the demand for alternative outpatient, institutional or hospital treatment options is set to increase. Forum 5: ICT - Information and Communication Technology In Germany at least, there are only a few projects that focus on ICT for minority ethnic elders, although many of these technologies offer solutions for participation, integration or the improvement of health or care services etc. ICT is a topic that is also linked to various fields such as housing, care, communication and integration. Forum 6: Education, Leisure, Culture Increasingly more theatre and music groups etc. are being created by and for minority ethnic elders. The emergence of these groups shows their cultural need. Previous experience has shown that suitable arrangements of this kind can bring about exchanges of mutual benefit. In this field, the competence and resources of minority ethnic elders can be brought in and be supported in very strong and lasting ways. In the context of further education, theatres and museums need to offer suitable courses and to gear a greater proportion of their energies towards working with minority ethnic elders. Forum 7: Studies Considering the great disparity between the various groups of minority ethnic and migrant elders, it is very important to encourage more studies focusing on the needs, competence and potentials of these different groups. In addition, more gender specific studies are required. Up to date, there is no European research network which specifically concerns itself with the topic of minority ethnic and migrant elders. The Conference therefore can be used as a springboard and basis in order to initiate such a network. There is also a need to analyse the various population movements mentioned above and the interaction between ageing and migration looking at both drivers and trends. Compiling a provisional list of research gaps should be a key output of this forum. That list could then form the basis of future research projects which could be taken forward through EU research programmes or other routes. Forum 8: Marketing Among professionals in the economic system, ethnic marketing has become more important. A special ethnic marketing also needs to be developed for the third sector (health and care). However, the target groups of minority ethnic elders need different forms of marketing, as it is often reported that many of them can only be contacted with some difficulty via traditional forms such as flyers or announcements in the newspapers. For NGOs or local authorities there is a growing need to analyse how events, services and products for minority ethnic elders can be successfully promoted. Forum 9: Gender Roles Often, older female immigrants are in better physical and mental shape than older men. Unlike the tendency among older male immigrants, women are more successful in cultivating important social contacts. It should be noted that gender-centred activities and projects are often very important. It is also important to find out whether also among older immigrants women are the ones who have the decisive influence in the choice of consumer goods, food, household services, care services etc. in order to be able to adapt services and products accordingly. * Section Three Good-Practice Competitions +03: Good-Practice Competitions Good-Practice Competitions Call for contributions Interested parties are kindly asked to send in the completed application forms via internet. More information and the online application form can be found at the website http://www.aamee.eu Announcement: Good Practice Competition I: "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe" The first good practice competition addresses voluntary organisations in all EU Member States working in the field of active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of minority ethnic elders. The applicants will be judged by an international jury. The members of the jury will include scientific, legal and voluntary actors but also organisations of migrant elders themselves. The top three competitors will receive an "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe" prize which will be awarded on 02 October 2008 during the European Conference at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB: http://www.worldccbonn.com), the former building of the German parliament (Bundestag). These three winners and the other three winners (of the other competition) will act as hosts for the exchange programme of the AAMEE project. One of the aims of the competition will be to develop European recommendations regarding volunteer activities for and with migrant elders. Submission deadline: 15 August 2008 Wanted: The Best European Projects in the Field "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe" Projects run by voluntary organisations from all EU Member States working in the field of active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders are asked to send in their application. One of the aims of the competition will be to develop European recommendations regarding volunteer activities for and with migrant elders. Only those projects can apply, which have already left the stadium of planning and are actively being realised. One aim of the competition is to develop European recommendations regarding volunteer activities for and with minority ethnic and migrant elders. Applying projects must show how the topic of volunteer activities for and with minority ethnic and migrant elders is implemented within their work. If possible, applicants should comment on the following criteria: innovation, equal opportunities, qualitative improvement of social, cultural and/or economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders, networking and co-operation, sustainability, and transfer of knowledge for the benefit of cultural and/or economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders. The selection criteria are defined as follows: 1. Projects should be innovative. Innovation means the implementation and realisation of new ideas in products or services. 2. Projects should have a positive impact on the implementation of equal opportunities and anti-discrimination. 3. Projects should qualitatively improve the social, cultural and/or economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders. Integration means that different societies merge and grow together in a dynamic, long lasting and differentiated process. In contradiction to assimilation (total adaption), integration does not ask to give up ones own cultural identity. 4. Projects should network and co-operate. This means that projects are part of a bigger net of partners and co-operate with different actors. 5. Projects should be sustainable. This means that projects should be arranged to last for a longer period and have a strong and solid structure. 6. Transfer of knowledge means that within the scope of a certain process (such as evaluation), knowledge is spread to other people (for example via media such as books, the internet or databases). This transfer of knowledge should benefit the cultural and/or economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders. This means, for instance, that voluntary organisations can learn from the experiences of other actors. Applications can be made from voluntary organisations in all EU Member States working in the field of active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of minority ethnic elders. Announcement: Good Practice Competition II "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe" The second good practice competition addresses local authorities and NGOs in all EU Member States. This competition is staged in order to reward those local authorities and NGOs that have given special attention to issues of minority ethnic elders. The applicants will be judged by the same international jury which is responsible for Good Practice Competition I. The members of the jury will include scientific, legal and voluntary actors but also organisations of migrant elders themselves. The first three winners will receive an "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe" prize which will be awarded on 02 October 2008 during the European Conference at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB: http://www.worldccbonn.com), the former building of the German parliament (Bundestag). These three winners and the other three winners (of the other competition) will act as hosts for the exchange programme of the AAMEE project. Applying bodies have to make clear how volunteer activities with and for migrant elders can be integrated into their work. Submission deadline: 15 August 2008 Interested parties are invited to submit applications of projects operated by local authorities and NGOs from all EU Member States working in the field of active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders. Only those projects can apply, which have already left the stadium of planning and are actively being realised. One aim of the competition is to develop European recommendations regarding volunteer activities for and with minority ethnic and migrant elders. Applying projects must show how the topic of volunteer activities for and with minority ethnic and migrant elders is implemented within their work. If possible, applicants should comment on following criteria: innovation, equal opportunities, qualitative improvement of social, cultural and/or economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders, networking and co-operation, sustainability, and transfer of knowledge for the benefit of cultural and/or economic integration of minority ethnic and migrant elders. The selection criteria are identical to those described above for the first call. Applications can be made by local authorities and NGOs in all EU Member States working in the field of active ageing and social, cultural and economic integration of minority ethnic elders. The applicants will be judged by an international jury. The members of the jury will include science, legal and voluntary actors but also organisations of migrant elders themselves. The top three competitors will receive an "Active Ageing and Social, Cultural and Economic Integration of Migrant Elders across Europe" prize which will be awarded on 02 October 2008 during the European Conference. The top six winners of the two good practice competitions (three from the field of voluntary organizations and three from the field of local authorities / NGOs) will also act as hosts for the exchange programme of voluntary organisations working in this field. * Section Four: European Research Network +04: European Research Network on ?Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders? Join the European Research Network on ?Minority Ethnic and Migrant Elders? Currently no European research network which specifically concerns itself with the topic of minority ethnic and migrant elders exists. The Conference therefore can be used as a springboard and basis in order to initiate such a network. For further information kindly visit our website www.aamee.eu. * Section Five: Policy +05: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) A first draft of a memorandum "Migrant Elders across Europe - from Challenges to Opportunities" will be presented at the 1st European conference on Ethnic and Migrant Elders across Europe. The Memorandum is designed to sensitise EU Member States, Regions, Cities, NGOs and other stakeholders at all European levels to the new age profile of migrant elders and hence to the cultural, social and economic opportunities inherent in their growing numbers. Part of the Memorandum will focus on the development of principles addressing these issues. The final memorandum will be published at the end of the project in autumn 2009. * End Notes +06: Contact AAMEE Project: Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (MGFFI NRW) Dr. Claus Eppe Phone 0049 (0) 211 8618 3320 Fax: 0049 (0) 211 8618 5 3320 E-mail: info@aamee.eu www.aamee.eu The project AAMEE is supported by the Silver Economy Network of European Regions. For further information on the network please visit the website: http://www.silvereconomy-europe.org/ or contact us: Responsible as SEN@ER lead partner region at the regional government of North Rhine-Westphalia: Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration of North Rhine-Westphalia Dr. Claus Eppe Head of Unit Economic Issues of the Demographic Change Horionplatz 1, D-40213 Dsseldorf Phone: +49 (2 11) 8 618-3320 Fax: +49 (2 11) 8 618- 5 3320 mailto:claus.eppe@mgffi.nrw.de European SEN@ER Secretariat: Ingo Meyer, Christiane Krupp, Werner B. Korte empirica Gesellschaft fr Kommunikations- und Technologieforschung mbH Oxfordstr. 2, D - 53111 Bonn Phone: +49 (2 28) 9 85 30-0 Fax: +49 (2 28) 9 85 30-12 mailto: sener@empirica.com http://www.empirica.com/ http://www.silvereconomy-europe.org/ +07: Disclaimer You receive this newsletter because you are subscribed to our mailing list. If you do not wish to receive further newsletters from us please send a message to mailto: sener@empirica.com. We apologize for any inconveniences caused by cross-postings or unsolicited mailings. * SEN@ER Partner Regions SEN@ER is supported by: Nordrhein-Westfalen Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia http://www.mgffi.nrw.de/ NWHT - Nordrhein-Westf„lischer Handwerkstag http://www.nwht.de/ LAG FW - Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege http://www.freiewohlfahrtspflege-nrw.de/ IHKV - Vereinigung der Industrie- und Handelskammern in Nordrhein-Westfalen http://www.ihk-nrw.de/ Dr. Claus Eppe Claus.Eppe@mgffi.nrw.de Andalucia FASS (Fundaci¢n Andaluza de Servicios Sociales) Junta de Andalucia, Consejer¡a de Asuntos Sociales http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/ fundaciondeserviciossociales/taj65/ informese_firma.jsp Jose Vargas Casas jose.vargas.casas@juntadeandalucia.es Miguel Angel Moral Gutierrez mangel.moral@juntadeandalucia.es Ms. Josefina Jim‚nez Garcia utpe.fass@juntadeandalucia.es or josefina.jimenez@juntadeandalucia.es Dolny Slask Lower Silesian Voivodship, The Regional Office in Brussels http://www.umwd.pl/biuro/ Agnieszka Gadzina office@lowersilesia.pl Wojciech Olszewski wojciech.olszewski@dolnyslask.pl Extremadura Fundecyt http://www.fundecyt.es/ Office of Extremadura in Brussels http://www.prs.juntaex.es/ Fundaci¢n Academia Europea de Yuste www.fundacionyuste.org Manon van Leeuwen manon@fundecyt.es Manuel Valent¡n Mendigut¡a Ar‚valo mmendigutia@prs.juntaex.es Miguel µngel Mart¡n Ramos miguel.martin@fundacionyuste.org Gelderland Provincie Gelderland, Bureau Buitenland http://www.gelderland.nl/ Doede Sijtsma d.sijtsma@prv.gelderland.nl Limburg Provincie Limburg, Afdeling voor Economie, Arbeidsmarkt en Onderwijs, Gouvernement http://www.limburg.nl/ Jean Severijns jmj.severijns@prvlimburg.nl Stella Salden skj.salden@prvlimburg.nl Limousin Charg‚e de mission R‚gion Limousin Antenne Interr‚gionale Auvergne - Centre - Limousin 67 rue de la Loi 1040 Bruxelles Sabrina Abdi limousin@cr.bgc.be Niedersachsen Ministry for Social Affairs, Women, Family and Health of the State of Lower Saxony http://www.ms.niedersachsen.de/ Dr. Stephan Walter Stephan.walter@ms.niedersachsen.de Mid-East Region Mid-East Regional Authority http://www.mera.ie/ John Byrne mera@eircom.net Yorkshire & Humber Yorkshire Forward http://www.yorkshire-forward.com Susan Blackburn Susan.Blackburn@Yorkshire-Forward.com North West North West Region http://www.gonw.gov.uk/gonw/ http://www.nwra.gov.uk/ http://www.nwda.co.uk/ Viv Gee Viv.Gee@nwda.co.uk Karthryn Griffith kathryn.griffiths@nwbo.be * European SEN@ER Secretariat empirica GmbH Oxfordstr. 2 53111 Bonn Germany http://www.silvereconomy-europe.org/ Werner B. Korte werner.korte@empirica.com Ingo Meyer ingo.meyer@empirica.com ?? ?? ?? ?? Page 2