Issue 01/09: Voluntary Work
Welcome to the first edition of the interactive magazine of the European Network Learning in Later Life – LiLL. Its focus is voluntary work of people in old age. Voluntary work, honorary work and civic engagement is today an almost inseparable part of an active old person’s life.
During our exchanges with seniors from various European countries it became obvious that the meaning of the term “voluntary work” is determined by national cultures and traditions. In the section “Views”, we present some thoughts about “What is voluntary work?” written down by senior students from Rome in Italy and Ulm in Germany.
We cannot report in this issue about the full spectrum of valuable voluntary activities that European seniors are engaged in. However, we have attempted to give the reader an insight into a number of activity areas in relation to continuing education for older people and the application of the acquired knowledge in new fields of activity. Many of the articles have been written by seniors-volunteers. Furthermore, we have also gathered information about good practice projects, education activities and news items in this area.
We hope that you will enjoy reading the magazine’s contributions and invite you to join the discussions about their topics.
Redaction Team of the LiLL-Interactive Magazine
Lead Article
Voluntary Work Today
Marlis Schabacker-Bock, ZAWiW, Ulm
Society changes continually. Globalisation, individualisation, materialistic orientation, change of values, are some of the terms that describe the current developments. These changes affect also voluntary work. The “classical” voluntary work, as it is known for example from church and association work, will be increasingly substituted or supplemented by various forms of civic engagement.
Being aware of the needs
Even when the society is in a state of continuous change, basic human needs remain the same, for example the need for affiliation, security, social recognition, the will to do something useful, but also the need to have fun, joy and possibilities for self-determination. These aspects of the human character can flower out in the wide field of tasks of voluntary work. [...] continue reading
Views
by Brigitte Nguyen-Duong, Senior student, ZAWiW, Ulm
Since I am no longer professionally engaged and my family does not need me urgently for the everyday life, I try to apply my excess energy in the public life. I did not need to look long for a suitable place. [...] continue reading
Hanns Hanagarth, Senior student, ZAWiW, Ulm
I understand „honorary work” to be a unpaid civic, social engagement. This can be in all areas of social life. Also in the family, neighbourhood, amongst acquitances, friends, in associations, schools, Kindergarten, charitable organisations, etc. I myself am since 20 years a member in a Service-Club. [...] continue reading
Emilia Fiorini, Senior student at UPTER, Rome
Accept or receive? When one has a honorary work, this means, that he already achived something in his life, and when he got old in a “normal” way, this means that he should keep this position. And when he then laboriously achieves something, which he could not until then, it is then good that he had kept the position. [...] continue reading
Carmen Stadelhofer, ZAWiW, Ulm
I grew up with honorary work. I drank it, so to speak, with my mother’s milk. As a small girl I sat at the back of the bicycle when my mother went to the garden huts of the refugee families that were accommodated in our quarter. She brought to these people, who lived in the small provisional homes, [...] continue reading
Bruna Lamastra and Maria Teresa Norero, Senior students, UPTER, Rome
When they go into pension, many people in Italy take on the role of the grandparents and take care of their grandchildren. The social services do not function all that well here and there is a lack of “Kindergarten”. The family plays generally a very important role in our society and so the grandparents help the working women with their children. [...] continue reading
Jutta Gotthard, Senior student at ZAWiW, Ulm
The somewhat unclear term in German language “ Ehrenamt” (honorary/voluntary work) refers to a regular not-paid involvement of a person in work or a cause serving the public good. Be it work with children, nature protection, a function in an association, a quire singer, a tutor in seniors’ education, helper in old people’s home, catastrophe relief worker etc. [...] continue reading
Senior-Editors
A magazine edited by older journalists’ group in Zagreb
Smiljana Spika-Prskalo, Zagreb
For the last 10 years I have been attending courses at the University of the Third Age (UTA) [...] continue reading
Hildegard Neufeld, ViLE e.v. , Frankfurt-am-Main
My entire professional life I was working with the media, and when I went into retirement, this had hardly changed. However, henceforth the PC and the Internet determined [...] continue reading
From the praxis
Nuria Ruiz, Universidad Permanente, Universidad de Alicante
“Older people and the mass media” is the title of a seminar run by the University of Alicante. In the frame of the seminar, groups of older people research and analyse the Spanish media reality [...] continue reading
Val Bissland, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Two days of intense focus on the various nuances of volunteering led to the award of a certificate for those completing the assignments in the SLIC project at the Centre. SLIC stands for [...] continue reading
Dana Steinova, Center of Lifelong Learning in Prague
The Center of Lifelong Learning in Prague represents a new model of an intergenerational, non-vocational education for all ages. [...] continue reading
Maria Vittoria Nodari, Istituto Rezarra, Vicenza
In the academic year 2008-2009, Vicenza’s University for older Adults has started some master classes for its more advanced students.
Education
Manager for virtual learning in the field of seniors’ voluntary work in Europe. A Grundtvig introductory course, Grundtvig reference-no.: DE-2009-902-001. [...] continue reading
2nd International Summer University for Older People
September 6-12, 2009, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain. [...] continue reading
ICT Initiatives
Anne Pöttgen, LernCafe
The work with the Internet connects us – six elderly people – in a double sense. We all spend much time with the Internet and with communicating the advantages of the medium to others. But we also spend time together in real life. [...] continue reading
by Roswitha Ludwig, Senior-Internet-Helper, Germany
Seniors learn from seniors how to use the computer. Eight to ten years ago, that was a unusual combination. Now a umbrella association [...] continue reading
Margaret Fitzpatrick, Age Action Ireland, Dublin
Age Action Ireland’s ‘Getting Started’ programme is a volunteer led programme to teach older people computer basics, email and internet. [...] continue reading