Thanks to the experience gained with the intergenerational learning model, the Network of Knowledge Volunteers and the campaign Knowledge is a wealth, share it! was created by Professor Alfonso Molina, Professor of Technology Strategies at the University of Edinburgh and scientific director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
On the Net there are people of all ages who decide to dedicate part of their time to the free exchange of knowledge to promote active lifestyles, job opportunities and social cohesion, also through digital tools. Thanks to this initiative, an exchange of knowledge is created between young (e.g. students) and old (e.g. retired craftsmen), enabling the former to acquire so-called soft skills, to develop critical sense and to get in touch with the world of work and, for the latter, to keep up with the times and make use of the skills of digital natives. Active citizenship, social cohesion, new employment, human capital are just some of the key words of this experience that FMD has spread around the world. In fact, more than 40,000 knowledge volunteers have animated the Network so far, coming from 19 regions of Italy and 11 European countries.
Important partners, such as the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Foundation with the South, Cna Pensionati, collaborate in the FMD intergenerational learning projects.
WHAT THE KNOWLEDGE VOLUNTEERS DO
Students are dedicated to the digital literacy of the elderly; experienced artisans train young people in the made-in-Italy trades; young people make their digital skills available to renovate artisan enterprises; teachers promote the FMD model of education for life by helping their students acquire the skills they need to live and work in our century; the over-60s teach their peers how to use new technologies; innovators who attend the Innovation Gymnasium make the skills they have acquired in the field available to younger people, etc.
THE CALL FOR COMPETITION
Connected to the Knowledge Volunteers Network is a competition, which collects and valorises the most interesting experiences of volunteers. It is open to people of all ages and nationalities who dedicate time to social design activities to improve the territory and the community in which they live, combat social exclusion, support the free exchange of knowledge, promote active lifestyles and create new job opportunities. Also taking part in the competition are the protagonists of the FMD's digital literacy plan for senior citizens and volunteers who attend the Innovation Gymnasium (artisans, makers, innovators, startuppers, etc.). It is possible to participate in more than one category (senior volunteer, junior volunteer and teaching innovator volunteer), recounting one's experience with a video, a tweet, a story or a project in accordance with the annual call for entries.
