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Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects
Since the year 2000 the EU has been supporting
“A Europe for all ages - Promoting
prosperity and intergenerational solidarity”,
and since 2002 the EU has also supported
programmes that promote the mobility
of the elderly, including the ENEA
programme. This focus area is developing
with an increased intensity. A new feature
since 2009 involves the testing and support
of the mobility of elderly volunteers in the
European Programme for Lifelong Learning
as part of the Grundtvig Programme
with the campaign SVP Senior Volunteer
Projects. Currently, the planning process
for the European Year for Active Ageing
and Intergenerational Solidarity in 2012 is
already underway. The new generation of
EU funding programmes begins in 2014
and will last until 2021, the foundations of
which are now being laid.
This is the context of the TRAMP project,
which is being supported by funds from
the European Commission. The aim of this
cooperation project was to facilitate access
within Europe for people with few foreign
language skills. “We do not understand
each other’s language, but working together
runs smoothly nevertheless.” This is how
Helmut Beyerlein, one of the participating
seniors, commented on the TRAMP
project and, in particular, the exchange in
Hamm/Westfalia, which focused on manual
work-oriented, intergenerational voluntary
work. “It was fun” said Öger, one of
the participating pupils. “Working this way
was a pleasure”. This was the plan - and it
worked.
Why this project?
Preface
The CALL FOR PROPOSALS of the
ENEA PREPARATORY ACTION ON
ACTIVE AGEING AND MOBILITY
OF ELDERLY PEOPLE describes the
background as follows:
The proportion of people over the age of
55 in the total population will rise over the
coming decades firstly because the baby
boom generation will enter this age group,
and also because fertility rates are dropping
and life expectancy increasing. In this context,
it is becoming of growing importance
to mobilise the full potential of older people
through active ageing, which implies
allowing older people to stay longer in the
labour market and to develop their contribution
to society, notably as volunteers.
Active ageing can be supported through
efforts to promote the mobility of older
people, giving them access to a wider range
of opportunities for employment or volunteer
activities across the European Union.
Moreover, mobility of older people, as workers,
volunteers or tourists, may create new
employment opportunities, including the
elderly workers themselves.
The ENEA preparatory action is intended
amongst others to finance measures to
encourage the establishment of exchange
programmes for the elderly through specialised
organisations tasked with developing,
inter alia, resources for mobility and
adapting infrastructures, including travel,
in accordance with the contents of the following:
Final Report 9