With the aim to promote mutual learning and knowledge exchange between project partners, three study visits in Greece, Italy and Portugal took place in the context of the Erasmus + project “SEAnior Leaders”.
During the first visit in Athens, Greece (30 – 01/02/2023), MEDASSET introduced project partners into sea turtle conservation and the major threats these ancient mariners face. Climate change and sea temperature rise, acidification of the oceans, marine pollution especially from plastics, incidental catch of vulnerable species in fishing gear (bycatch), overfishing, illegal fishing and biodiversity loss were discussed among project partners. A special presentation on marine litter and its detrimental effects on marine life took place by a special guest, Mr. Nikos Misirlakis, Project Officer at A.C. Laskaridis Foundation.
Moreover, project partners had the chance to receive on the field training, by MEDASSET’s Environmental Education Officer Mr. Kostas Thomopoulos, on how they can easily measure sea water ph., temperature and possible pollution from oil spills. They also performed a beach cleanup and collected more than two big trash bags of litter, most of it plastic.
The study visit in Lecce, Italy followed (15 – 17/02/2023) and project partners elevated their knowledge on lifelong learning and adult education. The team attended a lecture on lifelong learning, held by the professor of Pedagogy at the University of Salento, Mr. Piergiuseppe Ellerani and had the chance to learn more about the basics of adult education, as a tool against personal and societal ageism.
The third study visit, in the context of “SEAnior Leaders” project took place in Figueira da Foz, Portugal (20-22/03/2023). The team had the chance to dive deep into best practices with respect to didactic guidelines for seniors. Particularly, they studied the Age Wise project approach on how to address seniors. The digital tools for seniors were also presented through the summary research of the SEN4CE (Seniors for Circular Economy) project.
By taking advantage of the area of expertise of each project partner, project results can be amplified, and this was the overall goal of the study visits.
