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