The Little Challenge – Living Heritage project, funded by the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), participated in the First Gran Canaria Senior Fair 2026, held in Gáldar on October 1, 2 and 3, and where it presented its proposal for social innovation that places older people at the center.
The initiative, promoted by SPARKLING TECH SOLUTIONS, S.L., has been selected in the call for social innovation grants from ACIISI and has funding of 100,000 euros, which covers one hundred percent of its eligible budget.
During the fair, the project team had its own space to publicize Little Challenge – Living Heritage and explain to attendees how technology can be used to stimulate memory, encourage participation, and recover knowledge and experiences linked to Canarian culture.
At the Little Challenge – Living Heritage stand, the project was presented and the "Memory Challenge" was held, an intergenerational activity in which seniors, young people, and families could participate in small tests related to memory, Canarian traditions, heritage, and technology.
In addition, attendees could try out the Little Challenge mini-games and learn about the Living Heritage Memory Map, thus bringing the results of the project funded by ACIISI directly to citizens and, especially, to older people.
Memory, technology, and heritage
Little Challenge develops an intergenerational platform that incorporates a virtual cognitive assistant capable of interacting with older people through conversations, adapted challenges, and mental stimulation activities.
The project seeks to work on active memory, cognitive training, and emotional well-being, but also incorporates a dimension related to the preservation of the intangible heritage of the Canary Islands.
Through the platform, older people can contribute their own memories, stories, experiences, traditions, expressions, games, or ways of life to collect and digitize them. These contents may form part of a living heritage repository that promotes intergenerational exchange.
In this way, the project proposes technology as a tool to stimulate and support older adults, but also to highlight their experience and knowledge as part of the collective memory of the Canary Islands.
A project that reaches out to citizens
Under the slogan ‘active aging’, the Gran Canaria Senior Fair 2026 provided an opportunity to bring the project directly to citizens, especially older adults, their families and caregivers, as well as younger generations. The event shares with Little Challenge – Living Heritage the objective of recognizing older adults as active protagonists, and fostering the exchange of intergenerational knowledge and experiences.
In this context, the meeting allowed for the presentation of an initiative that proposes new forms of participation and support for older adults, while at the same time highlighting their memories and knowledge as part of the collective heritage. The fair also served to publicize how these contents can contribute to mutual learning and strengthen bonds.
Little Challenge – Living Heritage is being developed between March 2026 and April 2027 and is part of the social innovation projects financed by ACIISI to promote innovative solutions to different social challenges.
The initiative thus reflects the objective of these grants to bring innovation closer to specific societal needs and generate new solutions with social impact, in this case through the combination of technology, cognitive stimulation, and cultural heritage.
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