SENIORS – RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITY: VOLUNTEERING AT THIRD AGE
The project is financed by the EEA Grants 2009 – 2014, in the NGO Fund in Romania, Component Involvement, Sub-component Volunteering.
The project has a duration of 1 year (1.04.2015 – 31.03.2016) and the amount of the grant is of 33 837 €.
The coordinator of the project is Asociatia Habilitas – Centru de Resurse si Formare Profesionala, in partnership with CBNRM Networking – Norway – an NGO that provides expertise in networking creation and in promoting the social inclusion.
ARGUMENT
Promoting volunteering among seniors is one of the European Union priorities as basic dimension of civic engagement, and as a factor of social cohesion in order to increase the quality of life of all generations. The European Union member states have adopted various programs and measures to support and promote the national volunteering among seniors. In Romania, the involvement in volunteer activities is low (18.1 % – FDSC 2010, 20 % – Eurobarometer 2010) and the involvement of elderly population is even lower, no data for this age group being avilable. The causes are multiple – on the one hand , the lack of public policies and strategies promoting volunteering among seniors, on the other hand, the absence of civic skills and the absence of a culture of volunteering in this segment of population. In a society with an accelerated aging population being (in 2012, 15% of Romania’s total population was over 65, and in 2020 it will be 18.4% – Eurostat 2011), seniors represent a potential of resources that can be used in the community.
The target group of this project includes 75 elderly in Bucharest, who will participate to the training in the field of volunteering, to the volunteering program in institutions and 15 social institutions / communities that will participate in the volunteering program developed for seniors.
Also, in this project, at least 20 NGOs and local public authorities will be informed about the importance of voluntary activities carried out by seniors and at least 2,500 (of which 1,000 senior citizens) will be better informed about the benefits and advantages of seniors volunteering.
THE PROJECT’S AIM
The project aims to increase the civic involvement of seniors by promoting volunteering at this age through training, creating a network of volunteers dedicated to seniors and improving public policy in this area.
The main objectives of the project are:
- To increase the participation of 75 seniors in volunteering activities through their training in volunteering for 3 months and by placing the 75 seniors as volunteers in various institutions / communities for 5 months
- To increase the visibility of volunteering activities undertaken by elderly among at least 20 institutions (non – governmental organizations and public institutions) and at least 2,500 citizens in order to increase the information and awareness level regarding the importance of developing and promoting volunteering activities among seniors
- To stimulate the senior volunteering undertaken by improving public policy in this area.
RESULTS
- The organization of a course for 75 senior volunteer on the following topics:
- What is volunteering? What motivates me to be a volunteer?
- Communication
- No hate speech
- My life – past, present and future. How can I use my abilities as a volunteer?
- Digital skills training
- First Aid Module
- A volunteering program developed for the elderly in different institutions / social communities
- The creation of a of senior volunteers networking in Bucharest
- Elaboration of a public policy document that will include recommendations regarding the stimulation of local volunteering among seniors
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For official information about the EEA and Norway Grants access www.eeagrants.org