Reversing learning: seniors learning from the young

Pierre Caro, March 2017

We are very proud of this recognition and social step forward.

For nearly 20 years we have been concerned to observe that being fired after 50 is very often dramatic.

We invite people in this case to join young retirees for a moment of learning in order to reflect on how to change their knowledge, and personal and professional experiences into “tools” that will be able to support being and doing among four, five, even six generations in the next decades.

This period of learning is designed to open up the possibility of a new stage, a new profession, a new career as a volunteer or on a payroll, some “social clouds” for the next few decades. Pierre Caro is an example of this approach. He recreated his new career, new profession, in a project born after three years of training after he retired in 1997.

On April 27, we propose reversed learning: seniors learning from the young. This idea was born from the finding that those who went to the best schools, received the best teaching, are not those who are starting the most personal businesses!

To be continued. Thank you for your remarks.

Those who went to Nantes in September 2016 to the Climate Chance conference met some of the members of the action and reflection team, partner of the senior services department of the Pays of the Loire region.

We offered three workshops there:

1) on responsibility in ways of life and living conditions of retirees and seniors facing climate change. Read about it here.

2) on starting a personal business with senior/young support, the tricycle. Read here

3) Presentation of the Charter of Ethics and Responsibility of Seniors facing climate change. Read here.

On March 29, Association A6 was recognized for its involvement since October 2016 in the four workshops of the regional meeting, “Big Debate on energy transition” organized by Nantes Métropole: ways of life, landscapes, access to energy, innovations. Our book of players was chosen by Nantes Métropole. Read on the website du Grand Debat sur la Transition Energetique.

On March 30, Association A6 took part, for the second year, in the regional meeting “Le Grenelle de l’apprentissage.” We are on track to make the Pays de Loire region a pilot for learning after 50 in a society where we are constantly growing in numbers and in age.

Other achievements of the last six months.

• Association A6 will be in charge of facilitating the French government initiative to fight against the isolation of seniors, “Monalisa.”

• Association A6 was the project initiator with Minister Michele Delaunay, under the patronage of Brigite Ayrault.

• Association A6 is being increasingly recognized, for its citizen work in its reflection and action workshops, its pedagogy developed as a mix of class reversal and mutual sharing of knowledge and experiences, based on the principle that at 50, no one can be ignorant. The goal is hence to “replant” the small seeds of neurons to watch them germinate in projects, sometimes…. utopian, but simple, true, born out of passion, desire, pleasure…. which today is the wealth that helps to age well a long time.

Work, when chosen, learned, understood and undertaken with pleasure, is the best remedy for aging well a long time.