Tell a story – keep memories alive with an app

Participatory digital remembrance work in Bavaria

FOCUS: Digital remembrance work, intergenerational dialog, social participation in old age, participatory cultural work, intergenerational media skills
AGE GROUPS: All age groups; older people as contemporary witnesses, relatives, carers, volunteers
PERIOD OF IMPLEMENTATION: July 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027
PLACE OF IMPLEMENTATION: Bavaria; pilot region Upper Bavaria
SCOPE: Model project; pilot phase 2026-2027, planned Bavaria-wide expansion
FUNDING PROGRAMME: Sociocultural Fund, General Project Funding
PROJECT MANAGER: dieKunstBauStelle e. V.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Wolfgang Hauck
SPECIALIST SUPPORT: Andrea Birner, geriatric psychiatrist, Füreinander e. V. Utting
COOPERATION PARTNERS: Augsburg University of Applied Sciences (scientific evaluation); Füreinander e. V., Utting; Landsberg am Lech district / senior citizens’ policy coordination office, 5 municipalities in the pilot region (binding involvement after approval)
DIGITAL PLATFORM: BayernHistory (smartphone app, existing infrastructure)

CONTENT / BACKGROUND

Demographic change is leading to increasing loneliness among older people. Biographical memories are lost if they are not passed on. Young relatives often find it difficult to start conversations with older people; international carers also encounter language barriers.

The association dieKunstBauStelle e. V. has tested the Table of Generations discussion format in over 30 events. The scientific evaluation by Augsburg University of Applied Sciences proved that concrete entry points and low-threshold questions enable genuine dialog. The predecessor project Memory Book in the Dementia Year in the Landsberg district proved the effectiveness of biographical work.

2025, an initial digital prototype was developed and tested as part of the Landsberg am Lech district’s “Dementia and us” campaign – funded by the Bavarian Dementia Fund and the Landsberg-Dießen Savings Bank Foundation, implemented together with Pajam Rais-Parsi (coordination office for the overall senior citizens’ policy concept), dieKunstBauStelle e. V. and Füreinander e. V. The new project continues this pilot project in an expanded, Bavaria-wide format.

Remember pictures, talk to seniors: An app — Remembering pictures, talking to senior citizens:

GOALS

30 people from five municipalities are developing participatory content and methods for digital intergenerational discussions. Five thematic modules with over 50 contemporary witness recordings, 100 historical images, sound recordings and questionnaires in four languages are being created – accessible free of charge via the BayernHistory app. A handbook documents the methods for transfer to other Bavarian regions. 25 multipliers will be trained. At the end of the project, 100-200 families, four senior citizens’ centers and 30 caregivers will use the content on a permanent basis.

IMPLEMENTATION

In each of the five pilot municipalities, public kick-off workshops will be held in a table of generations format. The participants will form local editorial teams of five to six people each, consisting of local chroniclers, senior citizens as contemporary witnesses, relatives, carers and volunteers. The teams are trained in biographical storytelling, interviewing and smartphone-based audio and video production. They conduct interviews with contemporary witnesses, record dialects and sounds, collect historical photos from private photo albums, community archives and local museums and formulate interview questions in collaboration with a dialog format expert. International care workers translate key content into their languages. The developed content is tested in families, care facilities and senior citizens’ meetings; feedback is incorporated into revisions. Augsburg University of Applied Sciences is providing scientific support for the evaluation. Final events in all communities and a central conference present the results to the public.

EFFECT

The content will be permanently accessible free of charge via the BayernHistory app once the project is completed. Trained multipliers continue the model independently. A handbook ensures transferability to other Bavarian regions. Augsburg University of Applied Sciences is documenting the results scientifically.

ASSIGNMENT

The project combines socio-cultural remembrance work with digital cultural mediation and care science expertise. It tests a transferable model for rural areas in Bavaria and responds to the documented need for low-threshold discussion formats between the generations. The model character lies in the combination of participatory content development, intergenerational media competence, multilingualism and the use of existing digital infrastructure.

“Especially in old age, when many tasks and distractions fall away, a look back into the past can strengthen us through positive memories and build a bridge to our soul. This is biography work. It takes on a special significance when memory is failing and dementia is setting in.”
– Andrea Birner, gerontopsychiatric specialist, Füreinander e. V. Utting