Katowice – Senior Citizens’ Feasts – 2022

Status: Ongoing

Evaluated

Katowice Poland

Print this page City population: 27162131% over 60Practice started in 2017

Summary

“Senior Citizens’ Feasts” is a task that has been implemented in Katowice since 2017. The feasts were initiated by older citizens of Katowice who during public consultations reported the need to organize events where they could sing, dance, and make new friends. Considering the importance of emotional health, sense of belonging to a larger group, and prevention of depressive conditions (experienced by some older people experiencing loneliness), Katowice city authorities decided to implement the “Senior Citizens’ Feasts”.

The Katowice Senior Citizens’ Feasts include a series of thematic feasts/dance parties for older people, which include not only music and singalongs (featuring Silesian artists), but also a diverse group of invited guests, such as local journalists, cultural life animators, doctors, and/or children from local schools. The aim of this practice is to prevent social exclusion and promote activity and intergenerational integration.

The task executor, which is a non-governmental organization, is selected in an open tender and receives funding from the city budget for the project, which is free for participants. The feasts are held in the halls of the municipal community centers in different districts of the city to ensure accessibility for all city residents.

The project has been very well-received among Katowice’s older population. The number of applicants always exceeds the number of available places. In 2021, there were 7 feasts attended by 670 older people. This number is less than was seen in previous years due to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. By comparison, 18 feasts were held in 2019, attended by 2700 Katowice older people and in 2022, there is expected to be 10 feasts attended by approximately 1200 people.

Website: https://www.katowice.eu/dla-mieszka%C5%84ca/dla-senior%C3%B3w

Key facts

Main target group: Older people in general

Other target group(s): Older people with chronic health conditions or disability

Sector(s): Education, Health, Housing, Information and communication, Labor, Long-term care, Social protection, Transportation, Urban development

Other sector(s): Prevention of mental health, prevention of depression, maintenance of social connections

Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:

Ageing in place
Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
Inclusion
Participation

Contact details

Name: Małgorzata Moryń - Trzęsimiech

Email address: ps@katowice.eu

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Local authorities

Others involved in the project:

Civil Society Organisation
Older People’s Association

How collaboration worked: The idea of organizing the feasts was based upon feedback submitted by older citizens of Katowice to the city authorities, who secured funds within the city budget. The method of implementation of the feasts, i.e. the venue, number of people, type of music (band or DJ) was determined by local officials after consultation with older peoples organizations. Implementation of the project is commissioned through an open call for proposals, which is intended only for NGOs. The contractor for the task is always one organization. This year (2022) it is the Silesia Artprom Association. An agreement is established between the city office and the NGO, which regulates the conditions of task implementation and the method of accounting for the transferred funds. Upon completion of the project, the NGO reports on the completed task. The City of Katowice has allocated funds of PLN 30,000 for this purpose in 2021, while in 2022 the amount is PLN 50,000.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: Yes

Was the impact positive or negative:
Positive

Please share with us what you found in detail:
Since the beginning of the project in 2017, the organization implementing the project has submitted an annual report accounting for the funds spent, the number of feasts held, and the number of participants. Since the feasts are often attended by representatives from the local town hall, they collect feedback on the implementation of the practice directly from the participants. The main positive outcome indicated by older people is the opportunity to go out and meet others, spend time actively and forget about everyday problems.

Feedback:
The Katowice Senior Citizens’ Feasts have been very well received by the city’s older citizens. The main advantage cited by participants is the opportunity to meet other people, make new friends, and exchange information. The fact that participation in the feasts is free of charge and takes place in local neighborhoods, which makes access to participants easy is very important.

Expansion plans:
We plan to expand the project to other districts in the city of Katowice.

Looking back

Reflections:
Despite intensive promotion of the project in the media and high interest, there is still a large group of older people who are difficult to activate and encourage to leave their homes, which is why the participation in the feasts is encouraged by social workers who visit the city’s older popluation.

Challenges:
Once the project began, it became apparent that there was so much interest among older people that it became necessary to establish regulations and a registration process for participation. Therefore, registration priority is given to those who live in the district and those who have not yet participated in any feast. Thereafter, those from outside the district and those who are participating for an additional time are able to attend.