On 12 February 2024, the Apprimeurs ran a workshop as part of the Silver Books project at the C.C.A.S.(Communal social action centre) Pôle Animation Seniors in Saint-Nazaire.

The programme included:

  • presentation of the Silver Books European project and the Erasmus+ programme
  • the presentation of digital books created during the workshops. Rencontre au bout du monde (Encounter at the Other Side of the World), recounting the story of how two beneficiaries met, by Delphine Rabu (coordinator for prevention and the fight against isolation among senior citizens) and Souvenirs d’Enfance (Childhood Memories), by Mado (aged 96), produced with Yann Toux.
  • an intergenerational transmission workshop between the elderly guests and pupils from the ULIS class at Albert Vinçon secondary school, with the aim of creating a live digital book.

Focus Rencontre du bout du monde – building a unique story

After receiving training in the Book Creator tool from the Apprimeurs, Delphine Rabu invited isolated elderly people to work with her to create their own digital book. Two people answered the call: Dany and Rose-Marie, friends for a short time following a meeting at the C.C.A.S., but whose bond seems to have lasted forever.

Dany and Rose-Marie hit it off immediately, discovering to their delight and amazement that they had both lived in Saigon before having to flee the War of Independence. Both of mixed race, both the daughters of a French military father, they also lived in the same street and went to the same school, among other coincidences. They found each other and said: “You’ll never be alone again“. It didn’t take long to find the material for the book!

Between their meeting and the launch of the book project, the two “sisters”, aged 84 and 76, recalled their memories in two interviews recorded by Les Apprimeurs. Thanks to her training in Book Creator, Delphine Rabu then created the book Rencontre du bout du monde using the archive photos, texts and audio recordings she had collected.

The book launch, attended by Dany, was attended by around fifteen people (workers and beneficiaries of the C.C.A.S.) as well as ten pupils from the ULIS class at Albert Vinçon secondary school. After an introduction to the Silver Books project by the Apprimeurs, Delphine Rabu explained the interview process and presented the book. Dany was also able to tell his life story and his meeting with Rose-Marie.

At my age – intergenerational transmission through the ebook

In situ, the aim of this workshop was to get the pupils of the ULIS class to meet the people present and create their own collective digital book based on the answers they gathered.

Working in pairs or threes, the students selected questions prepared by the Apprimeurs and asked them of the participants. The people interviewed were asked to ask the pupils these questions in return. It was this interplay of questions and answers that formed the content of the pages of the collective book.

The pupils were given a choice of ways to collect their answers: text, drawing, audio recording, photo, video, written transcription, etc.

The book in progress was broadcast live on the screen in the C.C.A.S. room, allowing those present to observe its progress and the functions of Book Creator.

Two categories of audience were able to enjoy a convivial exchange during this workshop. Feedback has been positive, suggesting that Book Creator can be re-used for new projects:

  • Motivated students who got out of their comfort zone and were happy to play the question-and-answer game with the senior citizens. The chemistry worked between these two audiences.
  • Motivated students who got out of their comfort zone and were happy to play the question-and-answer game with the senior citizens. The chemistry worked between these two audiences.
  • For some students, writing can be a major difficulty: being able to record the interviewees or transcribe their own voices into writing using Book Creator helped them to overcome their discomforts and enabled them to participate calmly in the composition of the collective book.
  • The teacher of the ULIS class noted that her pupils enjoyed playing the game.
  • Several C.C.A.S. beneficiaries have expressed an interest in taking part in a digital book project, with the idea of passing on their stories. These people were reassured by the fact that they were being helped to get to grips with a digital tool and by the fact that they were watching a book being created live.

To find out more about the Silver Books project, click here.