The attitude towards “different” people is changing step by step, although the lack of tolerance for such is still present. The tight-knit community of the Kaunas University of Applied Sciences Tolerance Initiative “Respect & Support” is not afraid to stand out: they bravely accept various challenges, break stereotypes and desire to achieve much more. They vocally challenge the deeply ingrained beliefs, awaken the desire to disregard stereotypes and learn about a person regardless of their age, gender, skin colour, origin, social status, religion, sexual orientation.

Ageism is still widespread in Lithuania – the tendency to discriminate against people based on stereotypes based on their “different” age. People over 50 often face age discrimination because of distorted social norms. According to the 2019 Eurobarometer, older people are most likely to be discriminated at work. According to data from the Vilmorus market research center, 57% of respondents of the 2018 survey said they had personally experienced discrimination in employment, and more than 40% of respondents said they knew at least one person who had experienced age discrimination, either as a job applicant or as an already employed person.

Employers pre-established standards often get in the way of recruiting loyal employees with a wealth of experience. Employers attitudes towards older people are influenced by the stereotypical characteristics: passiveness, inability to use technology properly, and lack of knowledge. Education is one of the key tools to change the stereotypical attitude of employers towards older people. Taking part in seminars, courses, training, studies, and other professional development can help you keep or find a job at an older age. 

“I felt like a teacher instead of a student when I almost didn’t get a flower on Teachers’ Day. The student who wanted to give me a flower was very surprised that I was a student at that age,” Dana Morozova, a graduate of the Social Work degree program who chose to pursue higher education at the age of 57, says with a smile. 

Dana’s vocation to social work began with the birth of her fourth daughter. “When my daughter was in kindergarten and choir, I went with her to various children festivals and events. That’s when I started to get involved in social activities and wanted to help society. I started working as a personal assistant with deaf people, learned sign language, and attended many seminars on the subject, led by lecturers not only from Lithuania but also from abroad,” recalls the speaker. Dana also volunteered in an orphanage, now the “Kėdainiai Family Assistance Center”, completed the initial social work assistant course, and worked as a social work assistant for almost two years.

The interviewe’s desire to improve in the professional field was further stimulated by the lecturer she met during the seminars. “When we were attending the seminars, I had the opportunity to meet Virginija Kondratavičienė, Kaunas University of Applied Sciences Faculty of Medicine Head of the Social Work Department. My first question to her was: “Can someone my age go to university?” She motivated me a lot, maybe even pushed me to study,” and so, hesitantly but with a passion to pursue higher education, the same year Dana became a student at Kaunas University of Applied Sciences. “I was very doubtful about my age, I thought there was a so-called age limit, but it turns out that you can study as long as you still want to,” Dana recalls her doubts. Dana felt no fear when she applied to Kaunas University of Applied Sciences, but was hesitant about whether she would get admitted. “I had a degree in accounting, a completely different specialization, and I had an eleventh-grade certificate at that time, but I did well and was accepted”. She admitted that she was quite shy in the first course, because the people she met were younger, from different cities, with different attitude and personalities, but she always got help and answers to her questions. One of the biggest challenges for Dana was the computer literacy lectures, which Dana’s group students helped her overcome.

It is never too late to change your specialty, it allows your personality to develop, it shows determination, and if you are in a lower position, your education can be the key to unlocking the door to a higher position,” Dana, a graduate of the Social Work program, encourages people who are reluctant to go to higher education because of their age. She advises people to try studying even at an older age, because “you can study while you still want to”.