Written by Project: SENACT – Seniors in Action for Digital Inclusion
Date: April 11–12, 2025
Venue: Lisbon Municipality Complex of Boavista, Rua Dom Luís I, nº10, Lisbon
Day 1 – Friday, April 11, 2025
The meeting opened at 09:30 with welcoming remarks from the Lisbon Municipality Mr Luis Guarita introduced the National Implementation Team and underlined the importance of the SENACT – Seniors in Action for Digital Inclusion (2024-2-EL01-KA210-ADU-000286103) project in promoting digital inclusion and active ageing within the city, highlighting their readiness to collaborate across borders.
At 10:00, the presentations of the partner organizations began. Mrs Raquel Coelho, representing the Municipality of Lisbon, shared an overview of the municipality’s role as a local public authority, detailing its involvement in defining and implementing policies for the development of the city across multiple domains such as education, social action, health, and urban planning. Special emphasis was placed on their Active and Healthy Ageing Action Plan 2023–2026 and ongoing programs targeting elderly citizens, including the Lisbon City with Life for All Ages Program, the RADAR project, the HEALTH PLAN 65+, and the Municipal Telecare Service. The Municipality emphasized that SENACT would focus on the most socially and health-wise vulnerable elderly, working within its existing network of partnerships.
Following that, Mrs. Zisopoulou Evangelia representing the Municipality of Domokos introduced the Municipality’s structure, composed of five departments dedicated to social protection, education, technical planning, the environment, and local economic development. The presentation highlighted how Domokos fosters social inclusion and lifelong learning, particularly through the “Seniors in Action”
program. This initiative provides educational workshops in areas such as technology and health management, encourages senior participation in community activities, and facilitates volunteering and cultural events that reduce social isolation. The Municipality’s efforts in policy advocacy for the elderly were also emphasized.
Mr. Ioannis Dimos representing EPISTIMONIKI ENOSI, EKPEDEFTIKIS, TECHNOLOGIKIS, POLITISTIKIS – KENOTOMIAS & SYNERGASIAS (LabSTEM), the third project partner, presented the organization’s vision and work as a non-profit organization focused on non-formal adult education. He pointed out that LabSTEM operates mainly on a voluntary basis through its members, who include educators, psychologists and engineers. Their approach centers around science and citizenship education. LabSTEM shared experiences from prior projects involving the development of educational content and the use of digital tools, including MOOC courses tailored for adult migrants and refugees, and highlighted its capacity in producing multimedia and virtual reality (VR) educational materials.
At 10:30, Mr. Liolios Charalampos, Mayor of the Municipality of Domokos, discussed the SENACT project with the participants, pointing out that the project is primarily aimed at citizens aged 60 and above in Domokos and Lisbon, as well as community workers, adult educators, and organizations focused on digital inclusion. SENACT also intends to engage researchers, policymakers, and NGOs, offering them methodologies and educational materials to enhance digital literacy training. He added that the project’s core objectives include making digital technology more accessible to seniors, promoting the concept of active ageing, fostering a digital culture, and creating a foundation for long-term cooperation between the two municipalities. He also said that the project will achieve these aims through activities such as needs analysis, the creation of an illustrated ICT handbook, the development of multimedia and VR lessons and the implementation of a training workshop for educators.
After a coffee break at 11:00, the session resumed at 11:15 with a presentation on needs analysis and the formation of focus groups, led by Mr. Nikolaos Mallios from LabSTEM. All partners agreed to initiate focus groups in their respective municipalities to assess seniors’ perspectives on technology and digital tools.
At 12:00, the focus shifted to the development of the illustrated ICT handbook. Nikolaos Mallios discussed the content structure, and partners provided input to ensure cultural and contextual relevance for both cities. This was followed at 12:45 by a session led by Ioannis Dimos of LabSTEM on the integration of VR into the training material. Practical considerations, accessibility, and user engagement were central to the discussion.
The final session before lunch, at 13:15, involved planning the training of trainers (LTTA event). Nikolaos Mallios guided the discussion on how educators from all three organizations would be trained to deliver the SENACT material locally. The day concluded with a shared lunch at 14:00.
Mr. Nikolaos Mallios presented an overview of the SENACT project activities, providing a detailed timeline and outlining responsibilities for each partner organization.
The discussion began with Activity 1: Kick-off Meeting, marking the formal launch of the SENACT project. All three partner organizations participated in a collaborative dialogue to define the project’s 18-month roadmap and allocate responsibilities. The project coordinator, Municipality of Domokos, prepared the meeting agenda and structured time allocations accordingly. The Municipality of Lisbon hosted the event, with the specific venue confirmed closer to the meeting date. As the key objective of this meeting was to build trust and foster effective interpersonal communication among the partners, laying the groundwork for smooth collaboration. It was agreed that partners would maintain regular contact through digital communication tools such as Skype and email. The kick-off meeting concludes tomorrow and will be followed by a public press release.
Activity 2: Needs Analysis and Focus Groups aims to assess the digital needs, experiences, and familiarity of senior citizens (65+) in both Lisbon and Domokos. LabSTEM will develop the questionnaire template by April 24, 2025. The Municipality of Domokos will create and share a Gmail folder and Google Drive directory for document storage and coordination by April 30. The short questionnaire (approximately 10 questions) will be distributed across both municipalities, with a target of collecting 20–25 responses from each. The completed questionnaires are expected by May 10, 2025. Subsequently, each municipality will conduct a focus group by May 20, 2025, involving 2–3 senior citizens per group. These qualitative interviews will be led by local IT experts and will explore perceptions, experiences, and attitudes toward technology and ICT tools. The insights gathered will be analyzed and compiled into a comprehensive needs analysis report prepared by LabSTEM. This report will serve as a foundation for the next project activities, ensuring that educational materials are tailored to the real needs of the target group. Translations of the report into Greek and Portuguese will be completed by June 30, 2025.
Activity 3: Development of the Illustrated ICT Handbook will build upon the findings of the needs analysis. LabSTEM will draft a 40-page user-friendly guide designed specifically for seniors, featuring large fonts and visual illustrations. The handbook will be completed in English by October 31, 2025, and then translated into
Greek by the Municipality of Domokos and into Portuguese by the Municipality of Lisbon by November 30, 2025.
The content will reflect seniors’ expressed needs and cover practical topics including ATM usage, basic mobile device functions, internet browsing, online safety, e-banking, communication applications, travel planning and online shopping. A minimum of 50 copies will be printed in each country and distributed to participants for use in upcoming training sessions.
Activity 4: Creation of Multimedia and VR Lessons involves the production of interactive multimedia content, including virtual reality (VR) components. Led by LabSTEM and supported by IT experts from the partner organizations, the lessons will reinforce the handbook material in an engaging, immersive format. The core content will be developed in English, with subsequent adaptations into Greek and Portuguese.
Eight key topics—mirroring those in the handbook—will be featured in the multimedia modules. Tools such as CoSpaces will be used to ensure accessibility for older adults. The integration of VR technology represents a significant innovation, introducing seniors to new learning experiences and boosting their digital confidence.
Activity 5: “Seniors in Action” – Local Training Sessions marks the final phase of the project and will directly engage the senior participants from Lisbon and Domokos. Over a four-month period, eight bi-weekly training sessions (one every two weeks) will be conducted in each city. Each session will last approximately three hours and follow a structured format: initial familiarization with the illustrated handbook, followed by interactive multimedia learning, and ending with hands-on practice using VR tools.
Educators involved in previous project phases or specially trained for this purpose will lead the sessions. Each municipality plans to involve 15–20 senior participants. The training is designed not only to build digital skills but also to empower participants through active engagement, practical learning, and increased confidence in using technology in daily life. This phase serves as the culmination of the SENACT project, reinforcing its mission to promote digital inclusion and active ageing.
Day 2 – Saturday, April 12, 2025
The second day began at 09:00 with a brainstorming session on dissemination activities. All partners exchanged ideas to ensure strong outreach within their
communities, focusing on local engagement, stakeholder involvement, and public visibility.
At 10:00, the Municipality of Lisbon presented the Dissemination Plan. The plan included three levels of action: internal coordination through meetings and a shared digital repository; local community involvement via events, media content, and publications; and wider public outreach through multiplier events, a project website, social media campaigns, and open-access platforms.
Following a coffee break at 11:00, Mrs Evangelia Zisopoulou from the Municipality of Domokos presented the Quality Assurance Plan. This session introduced methods and tools for evaluating project progress, ensuring transparency and maintaining consistency across partners.
At 12:15, the floor was opened for any other business. Participants discussed next steps, timelines, and communication strategies. There was mutual agreement on the importance of continuous collaboration and monitoring, especially in terms of aligning training content with the identified needs of the target audience.
The meeting officially closed at 13:00 with final remarks and a summary of the outcomes. A common lunch followed at 13:30, providing an informal setting for networking and reflection.
Minutes prepared by Mrs. Evaggelia Zisopoulou (Coordinator)
Domokos, 16.04.2025
