Carmen Stadelhofer, ZAWiW, Ulm University

For older adults in Europe, intercultural perception is often influenced by experiences from their childhood and youth (war, flight, banishment, forced labour, separation of families). Those who are willing to (self)-reflect, can, when asked about their experiences, distinguish between negative, ambivalent and positive experiences and events (support in situations of need, unexpected friendliness, discovery of “communities of fate”).

Furthermore, the times of war often resulted in extraordinary individual as well as collective experiences; for example, many Germans, who had lived in harmony with people of other nationalities and cultures in the former east German regions, were banned from their homes and were then, coming to West-Germany, treated as “aliens” [...] continue reading

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