28.2.2023
Hrvatski Telekom is partner in EU digital literacy project for elderly
Hrvatski Telekom is a partner of the BOOMER EU project (Booming digital literacy skills among the elderly population), aimed at improving digital literacy and encouraging digital inclusion of senior citizens. As part of BOOMER, Hrvatski Telekom, CREDO Digital Transformation Research Center of the University of Dubrovnik, and partners from Croatia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Spain, will develop solutions and implement activities over the next 24 months that will help the elderly adopt digital knowledge and competences and facilitate their daily activities in the online environment.
The BOOMER project is the only Erasmus+ project funded by the Agency for Mobility and Programs of the European Union as part of Key Activity 220 - Collaborative partnerships for adult education.
As a socially responsible company, Hrvatski Telekom has been carrying out activities for many years to help seniors become familiar with new technologies and improve their digital skills. Over the past years, in cooperation with the Volunteer Center Zagreb, through the national digital education program for the elderly in the "Generations Together" nursing homes, Hrvatski Telekom provided more than 50 homes with tablets and free internet. The residents of the nursing homes learned to use various digital tools, and the program has been recognized as one of the best examples of social responsibility in the entire EMEA region.
"In cooperation with colleagues from the academia and the Croatian Pensioners' Association, an agreement was reached on the project involving many EU countries to permanently strengthen the digital literacy of our most deprived members of society. During the next two years, in cooperation with its partners, Hrvatski Telekom will, through various workshops and lectures, educate the elderly about the basics of using technology and how to use various digital tools that help them in their everyday lives. We plan to help all participants get acquainted with new technologies through various activities to acquire practical knowledge and get faster and easier inclusion in the present. I am proud to be part of a company that contributes to this," said Nikolina Pejović, project manager from Hrvatski Telekom.
"The Boomer project is the latest in a series of successful collaborations between the CREDO University of Dubrovnik research center and Hrvatski Telekom. We are particularly pleased that we are cooperating with other higher education institutions in Croatia and representatives of institutions of the target group. Boomer aims to meet the needs of one of the most threatened social groups in the age of digital transformation. By realizing it, both institutions develop their social mission," said Nebojša Stojčić, vice-chancellor of the University of Dubrovnik.
The elderly population is one of the most vulnerable social groups in the context of digital literacy, which can no longer be considered an advantage but a need. The BOOMER has a very clear and concrete goal - to contribute to bridging the intergenerational gap, enable active participation in everyday life of elderly citizens, and promote the social inclusion of digitally vulnerable social groups. The project envisions the development of an intuitive and straightforward platform adapted to the needs of the elderly.
"Cooperation between Croatian Pensioners' Association and Hrvatski Telekom continues through the BOOMER project, where we will work on improving the digital literacy of the elderly during the two years of the project. We are aware of the importance of the development of technology and digital literacy of pensioners, which enables their social inclusion and improves their quality of life. This project and cooperation with Hrvatski Telekom are a good foundation for developing new solutions that affect the standard of the pensioner population", pointed out Višnja Fortuna, president at MUH.
BOOMER brings together eight partners from five countries (Belgium, Croatia, Italy, Germany, and Spain). In addition to Hrvatski Telekom, the consortium from Croatia comprises the Zagreb Faculty of Economics and the Croatian Pensioners' Association. The University of Dubrovnik coordinates the project.
