As part of the International Day of Older Persons, SHINE 2Europe was invited to take part in the first National Conference to Promote Active and Successful Ageing, which took place at the Convento de S. Francisco in Coimbra, on the 3rd of October.
Carina Dantas, CEO of SHINE, represented this SME from the centre region of Portugal dedicated to applied research that promotes inclusive communities for all citizens, sharing European initiatives such as SHAFE, NET4Age-Friendly and SIRENE.
Carina Dantas was a speaker at the plenary session of this national conference, an initiative of Coimbra City Council and its recently created Gerontology and Active Ageing Office. She had the privilege of presenting how SHINE is promoting inclusive communities through social innovation based on the SHAFE approach – Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments.
She showed how SHAFE was implemented through the COST NET4Age-Friendly Action which currently has more than 700 members in 51 countries. She presented the materials and results developed in the SIRENE project, coordinated by SHINE, which consists of a Coordination and Support Action for the European Commission, funded under the Horizon Europe programme.
The CEO demonstrated how empowering citizens and educating adults is a priority for her organisation, presenting its free educational platform, available to the whole of society, which brings together the results of projects such as SAA on combating ageism; GreenerAge focusing on digital and environmental literacy; Culture On Prescripton, a project that prevents and combats isolation and loneliness through art and culture; and TRIO, a project on digital health literacy. On the Educational Platform you can find tools that enable adults, including older adults, to acquire skills for a healthier life and more participatory ageing.
Carina Dantas says that “Working with great partners and actors from all areas is the key to having meaningful and impactful initiatives. That’s why this conference was a great milestone in bringing Coimbra together around such an important theme.”
The main aim of the conference was to promote the dissemination of knowledge and to encourage and motivate municipalities and social sector entities to create or replicate good practices in the area of active and successful ageing, covering topics such as ageing in place, cohousing, support programmes for informal carers, negative social representations associated with old age and ageing, loneliness and social isolation, gerontotechnology, compassionate communities, elderly-friendly workplaces, among others.
As a non-profit, socially oriented applied research organisation, SHINE aims to mobilise resources to enable the implementation of its innovative initiatives. By integrating new ideas, collaborations and technologies, SHINE aims to leave its testimony on how to improve people’s quality of life, ensuring that no-one is left behind. A truly inclusive society is one in which every individual is valued and has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their abilities, background or condition.