Focus group with local stakeholders. University of Alicante

The main objective is to develop innovative guidelines and recommendations for use at lifelong learning centers; universities; companies; unions; associations; local and regional authorities that wish to prepare and encourage their employees/clients to prepare for the “third age”. We will use the project and its outcomes to raise awareness on these important issues and disseminate the results throughout the European Educational Area and the worldwide U3A network.

In the framework of the project we have carried out a mapping about the state of art of the preparation for retirement in the partners’ countries and also different Focus-Groups with target group members (retired and working), experts and representatives of trade unions, institutions and enterprises involved in the education area.

The group is made up of 16 people, 8 men and 8 women. They constitute a representative group –which is in keeping with the guidelines given by the Mapping coordinator. These are retired people who develop an intense activity (training for life, voluntary service, research and household/family tasks) and who are both members of the University of Alicante and individuals outside that educational context, as well as a significant number of still active adults, some of them near the age of retirement and other younger ones who are linked to training, to human resources management, and to the defence of social sectors and workers’ right (trade union representatives).

Our intention was to shape a heterogeneous, multidisciplinary group characterised by gender equality, the members of which are familiar with the reality of seniors in our country as well as with what the transition into retirement has meant or may eventually mean. They all have the capacity to reach a wide variety of social sectors and professional groups, which is of paramount importance when it comes to transmitting any outcomes and progress achieved in the BALL project and, above all, to contacting possible future users and/or addressees of the training and products resulting from the BALL Project.

Their ages are comprised between 35 and 77 years. They are all are residents in Alicante.

The debate session which was video-recorded with the attendants’ permission, lasted two and a half hours.