09/09/2026
🇪🇺☕ SMILE CAFE in action – learning, connecting and growing together!
This week, our European SMILE CAFE partnership has come together in Reggio Emilia, Italy, for an important milestone in our project: the Training for Professionals and testing of the SMILE CAFE Methodology.
After months of research, development and exchange, we are now putting our ideas into practice – testing methods, sharing experiences and preparing the next phase of our work. Our common goal is clear: to help people aged 55+ strengthen their digital skills, stay connected and participate actively in social life.
Because digital inclusion is about much more than knowing how to use technology.
It is about confidence, independence, participation – and human connection. ❤️
SMILE CAFE therefore combines digital learning with well-being and social interaction, creating welcoming learning environments where technology becomes a tool for connecting people rather than separating them. The project will result, among other things, in a multimodal training programme, a methodological handbook for professionals and trainers, and the SMILE CAFE Hub.
These days in Reggio Emilia are also a wonderful reminder of what European cooperation can achieve: bringing together different perspectives, expertise and experiences from Austria, Germany, Italy and Lithuania to develop solutions for challenges that affect all our societies. 🇦🇹 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇱🇹
A big thank you to our Italian partner Progetto Crescere for hosting us in Reggio Emilia and for creating such a welcoming environment for learning, discussion and exchange.
We are looking forward to taking the next steps together – and, above all, to bringing the SMILE CAFE experience to older learners across Europe! ☕😊🌍
Because learning has no age – and connection matters at every stage of life.