The AEPA-Wel project addresses the well-being and social inclusion of the growing proportion of elderly people that inhabit the Arctic area. It is based on the idea that older people are a diverse group and applies the approach that they are active citizens with extensive knowledge of their living environments.

The project explores whether these characteristics are manifest in the welfare experiences in the daily life of elderly people, especially those of cultural minorities. The focus is on how older people (men and women) experience their own well being and agency in terms of welfare services in remote places where service infrastructure may be challenged. Main stakeholders are older people from local communities and multiple levels of government and non-governmental agencies.

AEPA-Wel project has organized a kick-off meeting and three workshops between 2016 to 2019:

1. Virtual kick-off meeting on 29 August 2016 from 3 pm to 5 pm;
2. The first workshop was held on 26-27 January 2017, at the University of Lapland;

1. The second workshop was held at the end of October 2017, at the University of Umeå, Sweden; and
2. The third workshop was held on 30–31 of August 2018.

Besides these, 2 publications were produced in 2019:

• “Ageing and Gender in the Nordic Arctic” (Shahnaj Begum, Lapland University Press);
• “Northern culture and well-being of the older population: A case study from Finnish and Swedish Lapland” in The 2nd Annual Kurultai of the endangered Cultural heritage, (Shahnaj Begum, Conference proceedings, Akech), 2019.

The project’s final outcome, the edited volume is in Springer press, will come out at the end of 2019. The title of the book is: “New Challenges to Ageing in the Rural North: A Critical Interdisciplinary Perspective”, edited by Päivi Naskali , Joan R. Harbison and Shahnaj Begum.

The project will be completed by the end of 2019.

See more information on the project's website.

Applicant: Unit for Gender Studies Faculty of Education University of Lapland (P-manager: Päivi Naskali)

Partners: University of Lapland; University of Helsinki; Dalhouse University Canada; Umeå University; University of Gothenburg; University of Tromsö; Arkangelski Russia; University of Akureyri Iceland; Center for Arctic Health and Unit of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology in Denmark.

Countries: Finland, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Iceland

Project start and expected to be finalized in 2018.

Copyright pictures: Benjamin Suomela / Norden.org