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Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects
Learning by Manual Work: Cooperative Work as a Method
Cooperative practical work as a means of overcoming cultural barriers – the
methodical concept of the activities which have been or will be arranged in
the context of TRAMP are based on this idea. In doing so the coordinators of
the exchange did not really break new ground, this idea, however, has not yet
been used specifically as a method for the target group of older people and it
has not been studied systematically, either.
Experience with youth exchange programmes, as for example in work
camps, in projects related to the preservation of monuments and historic
buildings and so on, might be helpful to some extent, yet it cannot be directly
transferred to programmes for senior citizens. A major difference between
young and older people as participants is the fact that due to their long
working lives older people show significantly deeper emotional commitment
to their (practical) work and can rely on more professional experience and
knowledge, which becomes obvious in their initiative while trying to achieve
aims. These attitudes can be used for the specific purposes of exchange programmes
for older people.
Learning via manual work or practical work in exchanges for seniors therefore
builds on the interests, competences and experiences which have grown
over the years. After a long working life – al least if this period of life has
been satisfying – people identify highly with their work and specific skills
respectively, which includes feelings of pride and a high level of motivation.
As experience in the field of unpaid work of seniors shows, this identification
usually continues throughout the years of retirement. Thus even ten years
after their retirement, people who were involved in the “Agentur für gesellschaftliches
Engagement (AGE) (Agency For Social Engagement)” in Hamm,
Germany, deliberately chose projects with a strong link to their former jobs
(Lütkes 2009: 22). In this way a group of people can be motivated which
normally takes little interest in honorary work – as for example looking after
old people or private tutoring for students.
Many older craftsmen – and this includes industrial workers – had to face
significant technological changes in their jobs, since certain manual operations
were replaced by computerised procedures. Being concerned about a
further loss of certain skills they are more than willing to pass on these skills
to younger people in order to preserve them. The young people, on the other
hand, benefit from this intergenerational cooperation. Training their skills in
craftsmanship in general, gaining initial experience with different material
and taking active part in the whole working process from the basic planning
up to the technical completion can serve as a door opener at the beginning of
a professional career.
The transmission of general work experience and social competences as
well as the ability to work in (heterogeneous age) groups or to complete certain
projects is of particular importance. Older people are often proud of ha-
Set of Methods 91