Alternative ways for attracting teenagers to protected areas: intergenerational learning and location based games

Nowadays it is evident how much youth are keen and incredibly familiar to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) which are used for different purposes like social networks, school researches, playing games, and how mobile technology is the most affordable and multitasking and of ordinary use in all generations. Therefore, smartphones and tablets can be the tools for combining two generations and make them working together. Intergenerational learning, which describes the way that people of all ages can learn together and from each other (www.enilnet.eu), fosters reciprocal learning relationships between different generations and helps to develop social capital and social cohesion in our ageing societies (Rogers and Taylor, 1997). Therefore, the combination of pupils skills on ICT with elders' knowledge proves a mutual knowledge transfer between generations by which, on one hand younger generations can benefit from elders' mentoring (Morrow & Styles, 1995), on the other hand, mentoring experiences allow opportunities for older adults to renew positive emotions and reinforce meaning in their lives (Larkin et al. 2005). Moreover, in recent years, volunteering has been increasing, encouraged by the UN policy: 2011 was declared the 2nd European year of Volunteering and the EU shows strong interest especially for its contribution to social cohesion, building European identity and values. Key motives for participating in the nature conservation volunteering generally are firstly 'helping the environment', then 'improving areas that volunteers use for their own recreation', 'expressing their values', 'learning about the natural environment' and 'socializing with people with similar interests' (Brett Bruyere and Silas Rappe, 2007) and 'learning and contact with nature' (Liarakou et al. 2011). The technological and eco-psycological considerations are the pillars of Involen project (Intergenerational Learning for Nature Conservation Volunteers), a European project funded by Lifelong Learning Programme (GRUNDVIG Multilateral Projects). Location Based Games (LBG) for mobile devices are applications by which players have to solve quests to move from place to place and complete the game. LBG can be also played in a protected area unless the internet coverage is weak. The combination of intergenerational learning, nature conservation and LGB can reach smartly several purposes: i. raising the awareness for active ageing, posing the challenge to politicians and stakeholders to improve opportunities for active ageing in general and for living independently, acting in areas as diverse as adult learning, volunteering, IT service (Bird, 2007), ii. raising the interest of pupils toward nature and environmental volunteering, iii. the valorisation of the area giving visitors new tools to discover it and enhancing the educational offer of natural parks delivering the innovative training course on LBG and intergenerational learning to schools, adults, nature volunteers, environmental guides etc. in order to finally encourage iv. nature conservation volunteering.