Short biography 

Born in Prague in 1974, I am now a 50-year-old woman. I feel happy and balanced in all of the roles I am playing in both my personal and professional life. I thank God that I can still be a loving daughter, mother, grandmother, girlfriend, friend, andragogue, lecturer, as well as the guarantor of the Heritage Academy of the Third Age. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with the elderly and to prepare educational and intergenerational activities for them. 

My Story of Empowerment 

My story is proof that adult education not only has the potential to change a person’s life, but the decision can also bring positive change to society, in my case with the older ones. 

After graduating from Nad Štolou Grammar School in Prague in 1992, I continued my studies at the Higher Secondary School of Lifestyle from 1992 to 1994. In 1995, I welcomed my daughter into the world, followed by the birth of my son six years later. For many years I was a full-time mother and worked as an assistant. 

The turning point came in 2012 when I joined the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), followed by my enrolment in a two-year heritage conservation study programme accredited by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic in January 2014. In 2016, at the age of 42, I pursued a higher education degree in Andragogy, which I successfully completed over a period of five years, earning my master’s degree (Mgr). Subsequently, from 2023 to 2024, I furthered my education by studying Andragogy and Education Management at the European School of Business & Management, obtaining an MBA. In the spring of 2019, I was approached by the leadership of the National Heritage Institute to spearhead an educational programme targeting older learners, in line with the institute’s strategic objectives for the period 2019–2023. I went on to develop the core methodology and curricula, and in the autumn of 2019, I launched the pilot year of the HERITAGE ACADEMY OF THE THIRD AGE, drawing an enrolment of 80 students. 

Throughout a period that now exceeds 5 years, the program has undergone notable changes. These include the expansion of the curriculum to incorporate intergenerational activities, as well as the introduction of a hands-on component focused on documenting small monuments in the landscape. The educational programme continues to attract impressive numbers, and, in January 2004, it opened the third year of study. In terms of its form, the Heritage A3A falls into the category of leisure and civic education. It aims to educate the elderly about the preservation and care of cultural heritage. The curriculum is structured to provide practical information, motivate the elderly to pursue further education, and encourage their participation in volunteer activities. Graduates and current learners can develop a greater understanding while exploring and observing the values created by our ancestors. Moreover, they can then pass on this knowledge to the next generation through intergenerational dialogue. The elderly in the role of documenters of monuments As part of this programme, the project Documenting Small Monuments in the Landscape was launched in 2023 aiming to enhance the civic competences of the older ones. 

Drawing from the lectures on Introduction to the Care of Movable Monuments and Care of Small Monuments in the Landscape, a manual was developed in collaboration with the Movable Monuments Department of the Institute’s General Directorate. This manual is utilised by older students to facilitate learning and engagement in documentation activities. As part of their studies, participants document monuments, submitting the photo documentation to me as guarantor of the educational program. I then organise and archive the documentation before passing it on to the Movable Monuments Department at the National Heritage Institute’s General Directorate. There, it is entered into the relevant working database — the Integrated System for the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage (ISO). 

In the second year, we documented 60 small monuments in the landscape, which encompassed a variety of structures such as wayside shrines, chapels, crosses, Marian columns, monuments to notable persons, memorials to world war victims, pilgrimage chapels, sepulchral monuments, niche chapels, and bell towers. In 2024, this documentation of monuments was incorporated into the practical training, requiring each student to document a minimum of 3 monuments during their studies. With 50 students, we will contribute a minimum of 150 pieces of data to the database. This information can be utilised by experts in the search for stolen monuments or in restoration activities. 

My story is proof that it is never too late to study. Even at a mature age, individuals can completely change their qualifications. 

They may pursue a field of study which they did not find interesting in their 20s or which they have gradually developed an appreciation for.