The Digital Unite Blog » Wales Scotland NI

Learning and more with Grandma

judithgraham — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:48:48 +0000

We were interested to see Valerie Wood-Gaiger on BBC Wales yesterday, helping Roy Nobles show the myriad of possibilities that the internet offers. You can still catch her on iplayer over the next couple of days. (About 16.40 minutes in) A clip is now up on youtube as well.

Valerie is the amazing welsh grandmother who’s is incredibly actively involved with intergenerational work, in her Learning with Grandma initiative.

She’s off to Lyon on 29 Nov to take part in a seminar about encouraging older volunteers, and from there goes on to Paris, where she is speaking in the opening session of a major event, about how younger people can help older people become comfortable with using the internet and new technologies, but just as importantly, making this learning a two-way street, so that traditional skills are not lost with the passage of time and the march of progress.

All due respect to Valerie, and we look forward to hearing further about her adventures!

Bealtaine, Ireland's national celebration of creativity in older age

dominic_campbell — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:43:57 +0000

Hi, Great to watch from Ireland where Bealtaine, Ireland’s nationwide celebration of creativity in older age is in full swing. Look here; http://www.bealtaine.com or peek at a project here http://www.themagpiesnest.ie that features an amazing family tree. Bealtaine’s in its 14th year, takes place in every County. Last year 337 partners (artists of all sorts, active retirement type groups, libraries, arts centres, care settings -all kinds of people) made 1300 events for 55,000 people. There was dance, classical and traditional music, theatre, visual arts, talks, film, and more to get involved with. 2009 began with http://www.grandparentsdayinschool.ie where young and older people taught each other, we’ve had genealogy and memoir writing at http://www.nli.ie, ”Blow the Dust off Your Trumpet” at http://www.nch.ie, film making, acting and…well too much to tell you about here. Download a programme. We even explored building a home we might want to move into as we age , comment here: http://envisage-bealtaine.blogspot.com/ The festival lasts a month, ending with a “Dawn Chorus”, singing at sunrise on a beautiful Donegal beach!. It’s called Bealtaine after the Irish word for May with its echoes of Spring and new growth. We’re enjoying what your doing. Hope you like our website, which keeps changing. It’s nearly like being here!

SSD Events roll in, but 'the secret seven' remain elusive

emma solomon — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:54:09 +0000

It’s all getting very exciting watching the SSD events getting logged on the site: just have a look for yourself using the drop down on SSD pages

Hampshire is in the lead with an amazing SEVENTY THREE EVENTS yes that’s right, 73. But that’s not to diminish the turn out all over the UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all waving their flags too.

Where are the good folk of Beds., Cumbria, Somerset, Suffolk, Warwicks., Wilts and Worcs, our secret seven? If anyone out there can give a freind or a contact a prod, we’d be grateful!

We’ve got some really interesting Event Holders again this year, like …

V&A Museum in London
An international advertising company in Solihull
A comprehensive school in Wales
BBC in Scotland
A nursing college in Belfast

Whoever you are and wherever you are, know that Every Event is Beautiful – keep ‘em coming. We’re on track to make May 15th another fabulous celebration of silver surfing.

Holding an Event in Wales

sophiet — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:36:50 +0000

If you’re thinking of hosting a Silver Surfers’ Day Taster Event in Wales, on or around 15 May the Friday of Adults Learners’ Week, then the people who run Adult Learners’ Week, Wales, would like to hear from you as soon as possible. They can help promote your event – all they need from you are the date, time location and a short description of the event.

‘We represent NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Learning) in Wales and we’re the organisers for Adult Learners’ Week in Wales. If you supply your event info to us by the 6 March we will be able to include it our What’s on guides, over 220,000 hard-copy guides will be produced and distributed across Wales, with local editions distributed throughout your area by a whole gang of our partner organisations. It really is a unique opportunity to promote your event for free. Please get in touch with your local festival co-ordinator by 6 March to tell them what you’re up to. If you really can’t button down anything before 6 March, never fear! You’ll get opportunities and advice on how to promote your event locally, electronically, through the Silver Surfers’ Day website and through our own.

‘We’d also like to start collecting some stories from Welsh Silver Surfers’Day event holders from previous years, so if you can add in a little comment to this blog post, or ask questions or anything, then please do so. We will be happy to answer. Alternatively you can email us on: stephen.martin@niacedc.org.uk .’