The importance of public spaces for the socializing and learning of the elderly

Dr. Sabina Jelenc Krašovec

Summary:  The article discusses the role of public spaces where different individuals and groups, who are not friends, family or co-workers, meet. Different authors understand public spaces differently, but they share a conviction that it is there that important social and learning processes take place, being encouraged in a bottom-up manner. Our assumption is that the elderly in the public space are an important group, but they are often passive and excluded. We examine the role of learning in this space, which has an impact on how ideas of different individuals and groups face one another, as well as how the privatization of public spaces influences the learning processes conducted there. The article analyzes theoretically the needs and opportunities for establishing public spaces and the assumptions that in order to analyze learning activities of all age groups in the public space we need an interdisciplinary approach and an adequate understanding of the role of the educators who enter this space.