Good practice:

Simbioza Giba

In view of the emerging needs of the social environment, Simbioza Genesis has created a cross-sectoral, collaborative, national, sustainable project, Simbioza Giba, involving intergenerational cooperation, volunteering and physical activity - a movement whose primary purpose is animation and promotion of active healthy and quality lifestyles of all generations at all stages of life, thereby enhancing the health of the entire population, creating harmony of intergenerational cooperation and dialogue, recognizing the positive charge of voluntary work in sports and exercising. The project calls for active participation of all generations (from -9 months to 100 + years), with particular emphasis on the activation of those segments of the population that do not exercise or do not exercise enough, or may not even have opportunities (older adults, the unemployed and other vulnerable groups).

- Financial budget per year: 65.000 – 85.000 EUR
- Staff: 2-4 people
- Volunteers: 300-350

Simbioza Giba has a huge social impact, due to a very large participation of older adults. They gather, get to know each other and socializing. At the same time the older adults associations are more active because of their active preparations and mobilization of their base.

Sport is also positively contributing to the health condition, so the health impact is positive. Some of participants are triggered by the project to start exercising.

The biggest challenges was to expand the project throughout the whole year. It was solved by offering to all Slovenian schools the opportunity to carry out activities of intergenerational movement. Other two challenges are fund raising and operations.

Intergenerational cooperation and socializing in the context of movement or physical activity is, and remains, the real value that has contributed not only to the great responsiveness of participants to programs, but also to the activation of volunteers. Cooperation with neighbouring countries (Austria, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary) is one of the challenges they faced. In the first phase, they plan cooperation in form of a pilot regional integration in nearby geographical areas (like Friuli, Raba region, etc.). In the next phase, the project will outgrow their regional framework through international partners and develop into a national projects in the partnering countries. According to the same principle, the partners will spread the model forward. The ultimate goal of the Simbioza Giba project is to implement the model internationally and globally.