The next stage in the \u201eSeniorze dzia\u0142aMY!\u201d project, following the classroom-based training sessions and off-site workshops, was a series of study visits. It was with great pleasure that we visited the Senior Citizens\u2019 Councils of Mys\u0142owice and Katowice. These visits to the Senior Citizens\u2019 Councils\u2019 meetings provided an in-depth insight into the Councils\u2019 activities. They also enabled an exchange of experiences and solutions used in other local authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 11 November this year, at a meeting in Katowice, 27 senior citizens took part in a study visit, including members of the Mys\u0142owice Senior Citizens\u2019 Council and senior citizens from Zabrze who would like to set up a similar council\u00a0
in their local authority. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Katowice, Mr Jerzy Wo\u017aniak, and the Head of the Social Policy Department, Ms Ma\u0142gorzata Mory\u0144-Trz\u0119simiech. The meeting was also attended by the Mayor of Mys\u0142owice, Mr Dariusz W\u00f3jtowicz, and the Mayor of Katowice\u2019s Representative for Senior Citizens, Ms Helena Hrapkiewicz.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the meeting, the issue of shared experiences and future initiatives was raised. The City of Katowice\u2019s programmes for the over-60s were discussed. The Mayor of Katowice, Jerzy Wo\u017aniak, said, amongst other things, that: \u201eA senior citizen\u2019s life does not end when they retire; rather, a new chapter begins. To promote integration and build bonds<\/em>\u201d. The city of Katowice is organising a trip to Ostrava for 2,500 senior citizens, neighbourhood social gatherings, and smartphone training for 3,600 people\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For his part, the Mayor of Mys\u0142owice, Dariusz W\u00f3jtowicz, emphasised that \u201ethat many initiatives do not require money, but goodwill, and that this meeting marks the start of cooperation between the two Councils<\/em>\u201e. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, Mr Krzysztof Ho\u0142y\u0144ski, Chairman of the MOST Association, outlined the aims of the \u201eSeniorze Dzia\u0142aMy\u201d project. Mr Ho\u0142y\u0144ski pointed out that one of the project\u2019s aims is to create a space for better identifying the needs of people aged 60 and over, and subsequently to undertake joint activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The follow-up visit to Mys\u0142owice took place on 11 December at a charming venue \u2013 the Mys\u0142owice Urban Lab at 8 Grunwaldzka Street in the Old Town. Given the approaching festive season, the main topic of the meeting was the challenge of reaching out to elderly people living alone. The discussion also touched upon further cooperation between senior citizens\u2019 councils and organisations for the elderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms Ma\u0142gorzata Herman from the Katowice Seniors\u201e Council presented a project they are carrying out as part of the \u201dWsp\u00f3lni razem\u201d Association. As part of the project, volunteers visit lonely elderly people in so-called \u2018block trios\u2019. A trio consists of neighbours of the elderly person whom the lonely individual knows. Thanks to this arrangement, both the person being visited and their companions feel safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We received a very warm welcome at both locations. We also had the opportunity to gain a closer insight into the work of the senior citizens\u2019 councils in Katowice and Mys\u0142owice, and to see how both councils operate under similar organisational and spatial conditions. We also learnt about the direction of senior citizens\u2019 policy in the local authorities. It was particularly valuable to find out about the programmes dedicated to senior citizens in the towns that hosted us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both visits served as an inspiration for those who took part to continue their work on behalf of the older generation and to establish a Seniors\u2019 Council in Zabrze.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you very much for the invitation and your hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA visit to Mys\u0142owice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What did we gain from attending the Senior Citizens\u2019 Council meetings?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
About the project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n