GSmart Multiplier Event 1 - Poland

A seminar to share information about the GSmart project was held in the representative Silesian Parliament Hall in Katowice on July 7, 2023. Two partner organizations from Poland supported the event: Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa (JDU - the project coordinator) and the Voivodeship Labor Office in Katowice (VLO).

Dr. Joanna Górna (JDU) chaired the meeting, which started with welcoming remarks from Prof. Alina Gil (JDU) and Mr. Grzegorz Sikorski, the director of VLO in Katowice. The participants included educators of adults trained in the new culture of cross-generational cooperation - the target group of the GSmart project.

Prof. Alina Gil (JDU) presented information about the project, and Dr. Urszula Nowacka (JDU) reported the results of the research work. Ms. Anna Magiera, a specialist at the VLO in Katowice, described the merits of the GSmart model. The question-and-answer (Q&A) session on GSmart practical teaching solutions was co-presented by Ms. Magdalena Kempa, educator of the VLO in Katowice, and Dr. Rafał Głębocki (JDU).

Participants in the seminar were invited to discuss the results of the GSmart project and encouraged to use the project's solutions in their daily work related to cross-generational collaboration development - in everyday life and work environments.

The Multiplier Event took place on 25.07.2023 on "Cross-generational collaboration in diverse teams." What challenges arise in a strongly mixed-age team? How can existing prejudices against generation be broken down? And how can team building measures be used in a targeted manner to improve intergenerational cooperation?

The multiplier event of the Erasmus+ project "Generation: Smart" discussed these and other questions related to cross-generational teamwork in depth. During the event, research results of the project were presented, the different prejudices and stereotypes in generation-mixed teams were discussed interactively, and the final project results were discussed as a possible solution approach. 

This solution approach is the core element of the project and is composed of numerous online resources. These include a "toolbox" that describes and explains various teambuilding methods about cross-generational teamwork and provides guidance for individual implementation.

These topics were complemented by the fascinating and inspiring guest lecture by Jessica Schäfer, managing director of the agency "Passgenau." She reported from practice which opportunities and challenges arise for cross-generational teamwork and how companies can address these.