"We are witnessing a longevity revolution; in 2060, one in eight Europeans will be 80 years or older. Very old people will thus not be a small minority in our societies but a significant citizen group. General perceptions of very old age are mainly associated with limitations, loss (e.g. abilities, possibilities, autonomy) and health and care issues.The ACT80+ partnership believes that the attitude towards the very old has to be changed and the focus from inabilities shifted to opportunities and strengths. Therefore, the vision of the Active 80+ project was a) to facilitate and provide access to informal learning opportunities for old people with functional limitations or care needs and b) to combat negative stereotypes about this population group as regards being restricted to the role of consumers of services.Since the access to social and public environment of very old people is often limited, professionals and volunteers working with them belong to their most important contact persons. Their support in detecting and re-developing hidden strengths of very old people they are involved with and their encouragement of very old people to engage in meaningful activities can be crucial in providing access to learning and ensuring greater independence and enjoyment of later life. The core idea of the ACT80+ project was to develop a research-based training concept and train care staff and volunteers to function as coaches for people 80+. Coaches supported older people in developing and realizing their own ideas of learning and active citizenship (""projects""). Therefore, the ACT80+ project involved the following target groups: A) Experts and very old people as interviewees: At the beginning of the project, in all partner countries and at European level, interviews were performed with key actors, including citizens at very high age, experts, policy-makers, researchers and practitioners. Their comments and feedback have been considered in the development of the training concept (Training Package ACT80+). B) Staff and volunteers of health and social service providers (as training participants and coaches)C) Very old people with funcional restrictions or care needs (as older learners and (co-)initiators of projects)D) Organizations (health and social service providers, associations representing the needs of the older people, adult training-providers) & other relevant stakeholders at national and European levelExperiences gained in developing and realizing the research-based (see European Benchmarking Report O1) training for care staff and volunteers working with people 80+ were summarized in the Handbook for Trainers (O4). Furthermore, the partnership elaborated the Handbook for Practitioners (O5), which addresses volunteers and paid staff of health and social services providers, empowerment groups, older people’s organisations and associations willing to coach, empower and work with people 80+ interested in learning and meaningful activities. This publication is meant to inspire and provides many practical examples of projects that emerged from our Active 80+ trainings in the partner countries.In order to nudge also changes at structural level, the ACT80+ partnership elaborated policy recommendations at the EU, national, regional and local levels (O6). The Erasmus+ project was carried out from October 2014 to September 2016 and involved six partner organizations in five EU-countries: Austria (queraum. cultural and social research - EU coordinator; Austrian Red Cross), Germany (ISIS), Italy (Lunaria), Lithuania (Senior Initiatives Center) and the Netherlands (OVN-NL - Oudere Vrouwen Netwerk - Nederland). All partners involved in the ACT80+ project • are experienced in planning, realizing, managing and disseminating European projects, • are active in the fields of socio-gerontology and the promotion of active citizenship and civic competencies of older people, familiar with the issue of active citizenship and lifelong learning of very old people• are experienced in developing and implementing training concepts• are well networked at local, regional, national and European level and• share long-term collaborative relationsThe ACT80+ partnership is convinced that, the project contributed to the change of perception of older people 80+. The main outcomes, such as the Handbook for Trainers, the Handbook for Practitioners and the Policy Recommendations as well as comprehensive dissemination activities in all partner countries raised awareness for the issue and encouraged stakeholders in care homes, welfare organizations and at political level to continue their activities in this field and /or transfer the ACT80+ approach to their contexts. Additionally, experiences gained and outcomes of the ACT80+ project enriched discussions at European level."

ContextWe live at a time in history where the number of older people is exceeding the number of younger people. The experience of ageing depends not only on the functional capacities of a person but also to a large extent on the physical and social environment in which that person lives. The environment where older people live is crucial for their well-being and mobility is one of the prerequisites for social participation, which, in turn reduces the social and economic cost of physical inactivity. Being mobile means being able to go outside, take care of yourself, see friends, stay active, be visible and be involved in community activities. Public authorities and service providers are responsible for and profit from making their services and public spaces more accessible to all – including older citizens and customers. Older people as experts of their own life know best how services and public spaces should be designed and organised to meet their needs. Objectives & activitiesGiven this background, the overall objective of the Mobility Scouts project was to involve older men and women in decision-making processes and enable and empower them to contribute to the creation of age-friendly environments and services. The core idea of the Mobility Scouts project was to train older men and women to initiate co-production processes. Based on a framework curriculum - developed by partners from five EU countries - the Mobility Scouts trainings provided older people with knowledge on accessibility and infrastructural issues. Through the training, older people are empowered to speak up and participate constructively in different societal, political, and economic fields and foster new types of cooperation with organisations, institutions and companies. As ‘agents of change’ Mobility Scouts brought together older citizens and local authorities and service providers to cooperate in the development of age-friendly environments and services. They implemented mobility projects based on the local specificities, their own and their cooperation partners´ interests. Mobility Scouts e.g. acted as intermediaries, collected feedback of older citizens on their living environment, possible problem areas, public buildings and senior-non-friendly offers and forwarded them to the relevant institutions (e.g. planners, companies, local authorities, municipal departments). Informal and more direct as well as anonymous possibilities for all citizens have been developed and implemented: e.g. round tables, guided walks, living room meetings, surveys. Furthermore, Mobility Scouts also organized activities to support others to stay and become active and participate in social life. Some target groups (e.g. older people with dementia) were given a special infrastructure and support to leave their homes and get involved. Detailed information on the Mobility Scouts approach, the training and mobility projects implemented are summarized in the Toolkit for Practitioners and the Handbook for stakeholders at local level. Furthermore, an Online Training Course (available in English, German, Lithuanian, Italian and Dutch) provides background information, inspirational examples and practical tools to participate in the creation of age-friendly environments. This presentation is dedicated to men and women who want to get active as Mobility Scouts and to all organisations interested in supporting them to do so. It also addresses experts, stakeholders and citizens who want to contribute to age-friendly communities. Translations of all outcomes in the national languages of the five partners are accessible on the Mobility Scouts website, www.mobility-scouts.eu.PartnersMobility Scouts was implemented by partners working in the fields of social policy and research, social gerontology and adult education in Austria (queraum. cultural and social research), Germany (ISIS Sozialforschung · Sozialberatung · Politikberatung ), Italy (Lunaria), Lithuania (Seniors Initiatives Center) and the Netherlands (OVN-NL- Oudere Vrouwen Netwerk - Nederland).Results and impact attainedIn total 67 men and women between 49 and 94 years attended the trainings and initiated more than 20 mobility projects. Mobility Scouts involved approx. 450 other older men and women in surveys, round tables, living room meetings, trainings and activities. Furthermore, a high number of relevant stakeholders were involved as interview partners, guest speakers at the training or cooperation partners of Mobility Scouts. 213 stakeholders took the chance to attend the National Networking Events organized by project partners in close cooperation with Mobility Scouts. On EU level, due to the cooperation with AGE Platform Europe, governmental organizations, policy makers and interest groups have been regularly informed on the project and outcomes. Sustainability is guaranteed as (cooperation) partners and Mobility Scouts in all partner countries are motivated to continue their activities.