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Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects<br />
elderly guided the young without being patronising.<br />
At the same time the elderly were<br />
surprised that the young made suggestions<br />
regarding further procedures, which the elderly<br />
had not thought of before and willingly<br />
accepted. The adolescents in Oberhausen<br />
were particularly impressed that they<br />
were officially allowed to call the senior<br />
citizens by their first names. The elderly<br />
welcomed this rule as well, since it contributed<br />
to the reduction of reservations on<br />
both sides.<br />
The adolescents were proactive and<br />
helped out wherever necessary. This was<br />
probably due to the fact that the pupils<br />
themselves benefited from the projects and<br />
therefore had a direct personal interest in<br />
them. In interviews the elderly repeatedly<br />
emphasised how committed and enthusiastic<br />
the adolescents were at work.<br />
Vice versa the adolescents were impressed<br />
how agile and, as one pupil put it,<br />
“in good shape” the elderly were despite<br />
their considerable age (the oldest participant<br />
was aged 84) and how well they managed<br />
to perform hard physical labour. This<br />
“agility” was also proved in a spontaneous<br />
intergenerational football match during a<br />
work break. The enthusiasm and proactiveness<br />
of all voluntary participants must be<br />
explicitly emphasised.<br />
The participating teachers also commented<br />
on the very positive course of the<br />
week. According to them they had never<br />
seen the pupils so enthusiastic. Furthermore,<br />
they pointed out the educational value<br />
of the project week in terms of the development<br />
of technical as well as social skills.<br />
One teacher in Oberhausen said, for instance,<br />
that the involved pupils were soon<br />
to leave school and the project work helped<br />
to reduce their fears regarding contact with<br />
“adults”.<br />
With regard to the elderly, the integration<br />
of children and adolescents had an<br />
educational value beyond the “method” of<br />
Exchange Prague/Zbraslav, after work party - using the new garden<br />
promoting communication. The majority<br />
of elderly participants in Prague and all<br />
of the elderly in the other three exchanges<br />
confirmed that they had gained new experiences<br />
in contact with the young, although<br />
all participants had been involved with<br />
younger people before the <strong>TRAMP</strong> project<br />
(for example with grandchildren, friends,<br />
neighbours, via the voluntary project work<br />
in the home countries etc.).<br />
As I said in the final discussion on the first day of the<br />
Conference, the increase in senior citizens is enormous. In<br />
my country, Portugal, the Social Security frightens us with<br />
statements such as this: “Nowadays we have one person<br />
working for one retired person, in the next 20-30 years the<br />
relation will be one working for two retired…” It will be<br />
the end of the Social State…<br />
Well, we can’t be so pessimistic and nor should we dig<br />
our heads in the sand. All of society must work together<br />
(young and old people), the problem is important to all of<br />
us and we need to find a way to solve the problem.<br />
I would venture to advise the European Commission to<br />
implement policies to protect all members of society and,<br />
regarding us “elderly people”, to maintain the support of<br />
all the initiatives which concern us. Elderly people are very<br />
important for this experience, they are patient and good<br />
mediators in conflict situations; young people can provide<br />
new ideas, new skills and tools and new technologies.<br />
Someone once said: “Alone I can do nothing, together the<br />
world is ours”.<br />
Pedro Pimenta, Travel Agents, Porto<br />
Final Report 35