WINGS+Good practices
The WINGS+ methodology stands on a rich European tradition of adult-education work with and for older women. Here are ten practices — from a 50-year-old movement to a small village U3A — that shaped our thinking.
AIUTA — International network · since 1973
A grassroots, peer-led lifelong-learning movement with thousands of local U3As across Europe, offering courses ranging from languages to philosophy, often majority-led by older women.
Why it's a good practice
Low cost, learner-owned governance and a strong track record of social participation and friendship-building for women 65+.
Fondazione Mondo Digitale · since 2002
An intergenerational digital-literacy programme pairing students with grandmothers to teach them basic digital skills — banking, communication, safety online.
Why it's a good practice
Combines digital inclusion with intergenerational dialogue and explicitly centres older women as learners and protagonists.
SOLE / Granny Cloud volunteers · since 2009
Older volunteers — many of them women — connect online with children in under-resourced learning environments to read, talk and mentor.
Why it's a good practice
Reframes older women's time and experience as a high-value civic resource, fighting the stereotype of senior dependency.
Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband (DVV) · since 1919
Germany's network of more than 800 adult-education centres runs accessible, low-cost classes for older learners on civic life, digital skills, languages and health.
Why it's a good practice
Reliable, geographically dense infrastructure that makes lifelong learning a normal part of community life — explicitly inclusive of older women.
Slovenska univerza za tretje življenjsko obdobje · since 1984
A nationwide network of 53 third-age universities and 22 000 learners, with research, advocacy and a strong feminist-gerontology tradition.
Why it's a good practice
Combines learning with research and policy advocacy on ageing, and is led predominantly by and for older women.
Kocaeli Büyükşehir Belediyesi · since 2014
Municipal community centres in Kocaeli (including Darıca) offering free courses, physical activity, crafts and social events for adults 60+.
Why it's a good practice
Public, free-of-charge and embedded in daily neighbourhood life, removing financial and cultural barriers for older women.
AGE Platform Europe · since 2001
EU-level advocacy network running campaigns against ageism, with a dedicated workstream on the rights of older women.
Why it's a good practice
Pairs grassroots learning with structural advocacy — giving local practices a route into EU policy.
European Commission · since 2014
The EU's multilingual community for adult-education professionals, with thousands of curated good-practice case studies.
Why it's a good practice
Free, multilingual and searchable — a baseline reference for any adult educator working with older women.
Uniwersytet Trzeciego Wieku w Woźnikach · since 2010
A local Polish University of the Third Age running language, IT, craft and wellbeing courses for older women in a small-town setting.
Why it's a good practice
Demonstrates that high-quality adult learning is feasible far outside metropolitan hubs, with most learners being women 65+.
Local environmental NGO network · since 2018
Outdoor walking, foraging and storytelling circles for older women, combining ecological learning with peer support and gentle physical activity.
Why it's a good practice
Low-barrier, body-positive and centres older women's bodies and voices outside clinical or 'training' framings.
Twenty simple questions, large print, no jargon — with a personal report at the end. Built in the spirit of the good practices above.