The Transnational Project Meeting of YoungCare took place in Gouda, Netherlands, from July 18 to 20, 2024. AFEdemy hosted the meeting, marking a significant milestone since the project’s kick-off a year and a half ago. Participating organizations included ISIS Institut für Soziale Infrastruktur (Germany – coordination), SHINE 2Europe (Portugal), AFEdemy, age-friendly environments academy (the Netherlands), Cadiai (Italy), Paritatische Projekte gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH (Germany), and Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas (Lithuania).
The focus was on developing a curriculum for an innovative learning platform dedicated to informal caregivers of young adults (18-64 years old) in need of care. Partners engaged in dynamic discussions (speed dating sessions) to assess international content and share national support services for informal caregivers. Updates were also provided on the Sharing and Promotion project, outlining plans for future European roundtables with policymakers and healthcare professionals.
The meeting concluded with insightful presentations from Ginette Klein of Ieder(in) and Jos Nieveen of MantelzorgNL. They emphasized the importance of enhancing autonomy for people with disabilities through urban redesign and supporting immigrant caregivers with multilingual resources. Feedback from the presentations highlighted the need for inclusive environments to redefine perceptions of disability and impairment.