On January 30, 2026, the Italian multiplier event for the Erasmus+ STEP Senior Tutoring – Educator Professionalization project took place at Palazzo Bisaccioni in Jesi (Italy). Held during a conference dedicated to the role of rural villages in active citizenship and community building, the event served as a vital platform to discuss initiatives aimed at empowering citizens and seniors through lifelong learning.
The successful event engaged more than 30 local stakeholders from diverse sectors at the regional level, including schools directors, vocational education and training (VET) providers, higher education institutions, and third sector associations.
The agenda featured key presentations by Training 2000. In particular, participants were introduction to the STEP project’s objectives, its international partners, and its mission to valorize seniors as educators and active citizens. Then . the STEP methodological manual, the online platform with learning modules created so far were presented , highlighting the 5 core STEP themes: lifelong learning, digital literacy, health promotion, socio-economic integration and participation.
After the coffe break, Training 2000 illustrated how physical spaces can transform into group exercise hubs supported by Senior-Mentors thanks to the local and European workshops organized in partners countries. Adult educators can meet and discuss with fellow educators and associations their role in empowering seniors. After inviting participants to join the workshops, a short Q&A session allowed them to ask specific question, which mainly revolved around the training material.
A central highlight of the conference was the discussion surrounding initiatives to empower citizens and seniors across five main topics revolving around lifelong learning.
Participants highly valued the reflection on how community spaces like libraries can act as “laboratories” for collective growth and citizens’ development. Attendees discussed the community members as essential tool for social grouping, fostering a deep sense of belonging among citizens with different ages, and praised the project’s focus on structured community activities that prevent social isolation by bridging traditional life with modern educational needs.
Training 2000 observed a growing awareness among stakeholders regarding the necessity to integrate formal education with community-based learning in rural contexts. Furthermore, speakers highlighted that active aging associations play a vital role as facilitators, holding the historical and social memory required to help citizens navigate local territorial identity.
A key lesson learnt from the event is the powerful synergy between the “Active Aging” mission of the STEP project and the broader mission of local citizen regeneration projects—both of which rely on the same shared community infrastructure. Events like this demonstrate that empowering seniors as active mentors creates lasting educational pathways for the entire community.
Visit the project website for more information and stay tuned for more updates: https://www.projectstep.eu/en/
