Background: The idea behind Dreamlike Neighbourhood 

The Dreamlike Neighbourhood project was dedicated to facilitating and supporting neighbourhood groups of/with older and very old people. In such groups, the participants meet regularly and support each other (re-)detecting and bringing in their ideas and talents. They make meaningful connections with each other, empower each other and actively contribute to the group and the local community.

The idea was to either support older people to set up new groups or work with existing groups that wanted to integrate new approaches and ideas and/or new target groups. The community building was supported by joint activities but was always based on the perspectives and wishes of the older people themselves. We have collected, further developed and tested many methods and tools (“activities”) that help to bring people together and develop a sense of belonging.

The Erasmus+ project Dreamlike Neighbourhood was carried out in four different countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia and The Netherlands) and very different settings. More information on the settings and the experiences gained in the neighbourhood groups are summarised in our Dreamlike Neighbourhood Handbook.

Our Handbook is available in English, German, Slovenian, Dutch and Czech on the project website.