Social Gerontology: Inclusive communities and civic engagement in later life
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MSCA-2020-LDDonder02
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Beschrijving van het project
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel has ample research experience on Participation and Learning in Ageing. Our research enjoys national and international recognition on these topics.
The unit Inclusive Communities embraces studies on the social environment (social relations, networks, cohesion, active caring communities, compassionate communities, social inclusion, elder abuse), cultural environment (diversity, migration, ageism) and physical environment (housing, urban planning, unsafety). The unit “Civic Engagement” focuses on topics such as civic and social participation, volunteering, civil society, cultural participation, education, Active Ageing, transition from work to pension.
In researching these topics, the research group often focuses on vulnerable groups among older people, a life course perspective, and incorporates a critical view on socio-structural and economic inequalities. Following the European Commission and the World Health Organizations’ policy agenda of Age-friendly environments and Active and Healthy Ageing, more research is crucial on how to remove barriers to participate within society and how to be all-inclusive towards vulnerable groups.
The research team has a lot of expertise in performing mixed-methods, and (community- based) participatory research. Quantitative survey research is combined with qualitative research, while concepts such as peer-research, co-creation and co-production prevail. By including the (vulnerable) target groups as researchers, social change, policy change and impact can be facilitated.
Our research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a dynamic and vibrant group and welcomes international researchers open to research challenges related to inclusive communities and civic engagement in later life. The candidate might suggest a specific own topic, or together a proposal can be developed.
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Belgian Ageing Studies
The Belgian Ageing Studies project (BAS) was developed by researchers at the Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and University College Ghent (Hogeschool Gent). Established in the early 2000s, the BAS team engages in the scientific study of the social aspects of ageing. The team’s research focuses on a range of social gerontological issues, including social, cultural and political participation in old age, volunteering, inclusion and exclusion, age-friendly environments, feelings of safety and the social policy of later life.
The BAS refers to a project which seeks to monitor local challenges and opportunities, as well as issues of quality of life, among home-dwelling older people in order to provide tools for evidenced-based ageing policies at local level. The project is a result of a close collaboration between the research team, the regional government and councils of all participating municipalities, senior advisory boards, and other stakeholders. Through a participatory method, the older people themselves are actively involved as actors in all stages of each study. They play a crucial role in the planning, the design, and the realisation of the research project, as well as in the development of local policy plans on the basis of the findings of the research.
Since 2002, the Belgian Ageing Studies have conducted a number of such studies in various municipalities in Belgium.