Areas of Work

The Lifelong Education and Development Association (YEGEDER) is a civil society organisation working in the fields of lifelong learning, adult education, youth work, social inclusion, empowerment of disadvantaged groups, well-being, caregiver support and community awareness. The association develops training activities, workshops, field-based practices, awareness-raising actions and project-based interventions aimed at improving individuals’ access to learning opportunities, social participation, psychosocial resilience and quality of life.

YEGEDER’s approach is based on the understanding that learning is not limited to formal education institutions, but continues throughout the life course within family, community, work, health, care and social environments. Therefore, the association attaches importance to developing non-formal learning models adapted to different age groups, social needs and levels of vulnerability.

YEGEDER’s main fields of work include lifelong learning, adult education, youth work, social inclusion, well-being, health literacy, caregiver support, basic skills for elderly care, dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness, home-based care processes, the social dimension of palliative care, digital learning and local capacity building.

The association prioritises the empowerment of vulnerable groups such as women, young people, NEET groups, older adults, family members of patients, informal caregivers, persons with disabilities, migrants, low-income families and communities facing barriers in accessing social and health-related services. In its activities with these target groups, YEGEDER uses participatory learning, peer learning, mentoring, experience sharing, group work, case-based training, digital content and community-based support methods.

YEGEDER’s activities are not limited to the transfer of information. The association develops practical training models that aim to strengthen individuals’ daily life skills, decision-making capacities, self-care awareness, social support networks and ability to communicate with institutions.

YEGEDER has institutional capacity to implement training and awareness-raising activities in health and social care, particularly in the fields of health literacy, psychological well-being, family resilience, caregiver burden, basic elderly care skills, home-based care processes, dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness, living with chronic diseases, family caregiver education and the social dimensions of palliative care.

In areas such as palliative care, cancer, chronic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and ageing, care needs cannot be met solely by health professionals. Family members and informal caregivers assume a significant part of daily care. For this reason, YEGEDER approaches palliative care not only from a patient-centred perspective, but also from a family- and caregiver-centred perspective.

The association’s contribution in this field is based on facilitating access to information for patients and caregivers, making caregiver burden visible, strengthening basic care skills, supporting families in communicating more effectively with the health system and developing community-based solidarity networks.

YEGEDER considers palliative care not merely as an end-of-life service, but as a holistic support field aimed at improving the quality of life of patients, families and caregivers. In cancer and other advanced, chronic or life-limiting conditions, the need for palliative care is often recognised late, while family caregivers are frequently involved in care processes without adequate preparation.

Therefore, YEGEDER’s approach within the project is to develop a community-based support model covering early awareness, health literacy, caregiver education, psychosocial support, guidance on services, access to rights and support mechanisms, home-based care skills, communication and bereavement-related needs.

By strengthening the social and educational dimensions of palliative care, the association will act as an implementation partner capable of bridging health professionals and patients/families. This approach creates added value especially in innovative projects involving home-based care, digital follow-up, family participation and caregiver resilience.

YEGEDER has the capacity to design, implement and disseminate training programmes for different target groups. The association can reach participants through face-to-face trainings, short modules, workshops, online sessions, hybrid learning processes, field-based group work and awareness-raising activities.

Participatory and practice-oriented methods are preferred in its trainings. When working with caregivers, family members of patients, young people, women and disadvantaged groups, the association uses not only theoretical information transfer, but also case studies, role play, scenario-based learning, experience sharing, peer support, small group discussions and visual/digital materials.

This capacity can be used in palliative care projects for the development of caregiver training modules, preparation of family information materials, implementation of health literacy sessions, identification of psychosocial support needs and collection of feedback from target groups.

YEGEDER is able to contribute to reaching target groups at local level, conducting needs analyses, organising focus group discussions, mobilising field participants, implementing training and awareness-raising activities and increasing the local visibility of project results.

The association’s working model supports cooperation with public institutions, universities, local authorities, civil society organisations, educational institutions and community-based structures. This strengthens an interdisciplinary approach in projects related to health and social care.

In projects related to palliative and cancer care, YEGEDER can provide social and educational support complementary to the clinical expertise of health institutions. By establishing direct contact with family caregivers and community members, the association can help ensure that the project is applicable and sustainable not only at clinical level, but also at community level.

YEGEDER has the capacity to use digital communication, social media, web-based announcements, online training and local awareness channels to disseminate project results to wider audiences. The association’s website and communication networks can be used to announce project results, share training content, reach target groups and inform local stakeholders.

The use of digital learning tools is particularly important for caregivers and family members of patients. Caregivers often face difficulties in attending long face-to-face training sessions. Therefore, short video content, micro-learning modules, easy-to-understand guides, checklists and online support materials are among the non-formal learning tools that YEGEDER can implement.

YEGEDER can test the comprehensibility of digital or face-to-face training materials to be developed within the project, collect user feedback and contribute to adapting the content to the cultural and local context.

Within the scope of this project, YEGEDER’s main role will be to contribute to the development of training and support modules for cancer patients, individuals in need of palliative care, family members and informal caregivers. The association can support the collection of field data on caregiver burden, health literacy, psychosocial needs, home-based care skills and access to services.

YEGEDER can also actively contribute to integrating the lived experiences of family caregivers into the project design, conducting focus group discussions and user testing, organising community-based awareness activities, piloting training materials, strengthening communication with local stakeholders and supporting the sustainable dissemination of project outputs.

This role will add a strong community-based dimension to the project. As a result, the project will not be shaped only by clinical data and health professionals, but also by the direct experiences of patients’ families, caregivers and the community.

YEGEDER’s main added value for the project is to make the social, educational and community dimensions of palliative care visible. By collecting needs from the field, the association will contribute to making the clinical model more human-centred, applicable and inclusive.

YEGEDER’s contribution will be particularly important in empowering caregivers, improving access to accurate information for family members, simplifying digital and face-to-face training materials, increasing community-based awareness, including disadvantaged groups in the project and ensuring local ownership of project results.

In this context, YEGEDER will be positioned as an implementation and dissemination partner that bridges health professionals and the community, makes the voices of patients and caregivers visible, addresses care burden from a social innovation perspective and contributes to the dissemination of project outputs.