Education of Older People as a Way to Reduce the Intercultural Distance of Generations

About the authors:

Gennadiy G. Sorokin, Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Associate Professor, Department of Business-Informatics and Mathematics, Tyumen Industrial University; sgena1@yandex.ru

Vera V. Gavrilyuk, Dr. Sci. (Soc.), Professor, Institute of Management and Business, Tyumen Industrial University; gavriliuk@list.ru

Abstract:

The article analyzes the causes and specifics of the conflict between the youth and the older generation in modern society. This analysis is necessary to find ways of reintegrating older people into all spheres of public life. The nature of the generations’ interaction is significantly influenced by the factor of the lack in the society of conflict-free spheres of interaction between youth and the elderly. One of such areas is the practices of older people’s education. The paper examines three aspects of education programs for seniors. The value aspect is connected with the interaction of different value systems. The status aspect is manifested in the interaction of the student’s and teacher’s social roles. The cultural aspect reflects the interaction of different socialization types. The experience of preventing and resolving intergenerational conflicts, accumulated in the practices of older people’s education, can be used in various spheres of public life. The authors come to the conclusion that the high appreciation of education (as a social value) by the old and young people can become the basis for a strategy of bringing these generations closer together. This strategy can be implemented in the framework of seniors’ education programs. One of the missions of older people’s education is the establishment of intergenerational dialogue in modern society.

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