On 15 May 2025, the SHAFE Foundation hosted a dynamic and engaging online workshop under the theme “Building SHAFE Together: Ideas, Impact, Implementation.” The event brought together 38 participants from across Europe to exchange ideas and collaboratively shape the future of Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE).
The session opened at 11:00 CEST with welcoming remarks from the Foundation Directors, Willeke van Staalduinen and Carina Dantas, outlining the organisation objectives and aspirations for collaborative work. This was followed by an introduction to the SHAFE concept and the formal presentation of the SHAFE Ambassadors – a multidisciplinary group of experts and changemakers: Malcolm Fisk, Milica Solarevic, Rodd Bond, Mara Diaconu, Oscar Zanutto, Lars Münter, Elena Curtopassi, Nilüfer Korkmaz-Yaylagül, Lenka Lhotská, Tatjana Lončar-Turukalo, Maddalena Illario, Heidi Elnimr, Martin Kampel, Anna Urbaniak, Daniel Pavlovski and Charalampos Vassiliou
Participants then joined break-out sessions led by the Ambassadors, which focused on three key areas: building capacity and fostering lifelong learning; making systems resilient, responsive and age-friendly; and developing and implementing inclusive technologies. These sessions provided a platform for interactive dialogue and innovative thinking.
Reflections and key outcomes were then shared in the plenary, followed by a Q&A segment and a discussion of the SHAFE Foundation’s next steps. With the meaningful contributions of the Ambassadors, the event set the stage for meaningful discussions around building the future of SHAFE.
Carina Dantas and Willeke van Staalduinen were pleased to host so many participants and facilitate valuable exchanges that will inform the Foundation’s ongoing and future activities. They announced that further details and concrete plans to expand the SHAFE outreach will be shared soon.
Would you like to join the SHAFE Foundation network? Register HERE.
Stay tuned – the journey to inclusive, healthy and age-friendly environments continues!
