A “Lessons Learned” meeting within the SHAPE programme was held on 28 and 29 September at the Red Cross of Niš resort in Divljana. The SHAPE programme is implemented by the Red Cross of Serbia in cooperation with the Austrian Red Cross, with financial support from the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Austria.

The meeting brought together representatives of seven Red Cross organisations involved in implementing programme activities. During the two-day meeting, participants discussed their experiences and the results achieved, the challenges encountered during implementation, as well as examples of good practice and key lessons learned.

The meeting was facilitated, on behalf of the Red Cross of Serbia, by Expert Associate Nataša Todorović and Milutin Vračević, who discussed with the representatives of the participating organisations the results of the programme, experiences from local communities and opportunities for further development of activities.

A special focus was placed on exchanging experiences in working with older people who need support, their families and informal caregivers, as well as on opportunities to further improve activities and services at the local level.

In addition to reviewing the activities implemented so far, the organisations had the opportunity to present ideas for future projects and activities that could be implemented in their respective local communities. These ideas were based on the experience gained through the SHAPE programme, as well as on needs identified by the organisations in their communities.

The meeting provided an opportunity for joint learning, exchange of experiences and planning of future activities, with the aim of using the knowledge and experience gained through the SHAPE programme to develop new initiatives and further strengthen support for older people and their families in the community.