Employment and Active Ageing: News from AGE members
This is a place for AGE members to provide details of the developments which are taking place on employment in their Member States and to share information on the actions that their organisations are taking to promote the active ageing of older workers at national level.
If you would like to add a contribution, please send your information to Anne-Mélard, Information and Communication Officer,
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Italy
Within the framework of the European Year 2011 of Volunteering, AGE Platform Italia organised a national seminar in Rome on 24 February 2011 to discuss the following issues:
- harmonisation of national regulation regarding volunteering
- defining a volunteer's statute
- volunteer civil service for older people
- volunteer's participation in projects as co-financing means
For more details, please click here, or contact:
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Belgium
UCP - Journée des volontaires, le 3 décembre 2010
Dans le cadre de la journée internationale des volontaires et à l’aube de 2011, l’année européenne du volontariat, ce 3 décembre 2010, tous les volontaires de l’UCP sont invités à se retrouver au niveau régional pour un moment convivial et festif. L’occasion de se rencontrer mais surtout pour l'UCP de mettre à l’honneur ses quelques 4.000 volontaires..
Ce rendez-vous sera également l’occasion de découvrir le film documentaire, réalisé au sein de l’UCP, qui met en avant les aînés comme plus-value pour notre société au travers de leur engagement volontaire et non un poids social ou budgétaire.
UK
Exchange and best practice network to support older workers in the EU
The Pan European Older Person's Learning & Employment (P.E.O.P.L.E.) network funded by the EU Leonardo Da Vinci programme held its first meeting in Paris on 26-27 October. The objective of this project is to develop a best practice network, research, education and communications system between EU partner organisations who are addressing the issues of ageism and promoting the interests of older working age people (50-65+), particularly in relation to education, training and employment.
A report of the conference is available here.
For more information on the project, please visit: http://www.wiseowls.co.uk/people/index.php
Published article by Tony Maltby on Extending Working Lives
Mr Tony Maltby, former Chair of AGE's Employment's Expert Group, wrote an article on “Extending Working Lives? Employability, Work Ability and Better Quality Working Lives” which has recently been published in Social Policy & Society, Cambridge University Press (UK).
The article suggests the adoption of a proactive and preventative approach to the quality of work and ‘work life’ for the UK’s ‘older workers’. He suggests that the Finnish concept of Work Ability (Illmarinen, 2005) approach provides a policy framework that addresses recessionary pressures whilst maximising quality of life and the active ageing of individuals and he explores how this could be implemented in the context of the UK policy agenda.
Click here to read the article.
Slovenia
- The new model in education of older adults or how to become an older voluntary or paid cultural mediator in Slovenain museums
The Slovenian Third Age University network has been developing and experimentally implementing a new, comprehensive model, aiming at the education of the elderly for personal growth and voluntary work and civic engagement in general, and “education” of the representatives of public institutions to integrate volunteers in their activities.
After the implementation of the educational and training programme, public institutions should be enabled to integrate highly educated older people as volunteers or paid auxiliary staff and older people will be able to take on voluntary roles that are far from being traditional since older people’s individual culture and newly acquired knowledge and skills are taken into account. Not only will the volunteers or the new auxiliary staff fit into the existing institutional structure, but they will also contribute to shaping their voluntary role within it. More importantly, this new model comprises also parallel public campaigning for raising public awareness about new social and volunteering roles of the elderly.
This model can be said to be another major breakthrough in adult education in Slovenia. Namely, the Slovenian Third Age University –together with selected institutions – is offering opportunities to older adults to learn and to work as volunteers in public institutions in the fields of culture, education and health care. It offers opportunities to public institutions to experience transformative learning and to be closer to its visitors. What makes the difference here? These volunteers or auxiliary staff do not only fit in the preset structure of the institutional activities, but they contribute their knowledge from which the institution may benefit and, consequently.
Germany
- New European Learning Partnership started with kick-off meeting in Germany: “InCreaSe – Stimulating Intercultural Creativity of Seniors” will be a Travelling Training Academy for Cultural Work with Older People in Europe
InCreaSe will be a travelling training academy for cultural learning and participation of older people in Europe. During the two-year partnership the expert partners will meet in each others’ countries to exchange models of good practice in different specialisms. These involve different ethnic groups and generations, ‘keywork’ approach, volunteering for culture, theatre and media work.
Firstly, the partnership will explore the best methods of reaching seniors to increase their cultural participation - as audiences, producers, ambassadors and volunteer organisers of cultural events. Secondly, the partners will reflect and evaluate the experiences of the workshops and jointly develop a methodology for professional training for working with seniors.
The project runs until July 2010 and the over-all aim is to develop training modules for implementation at a yearly “European Summer School” from on 2011. The partnership is a result of the co-operation within the European Network for Ageing and Culture "age-culture.net".
For more information about InCreaSe see: www.age-culture.net
Last Updated on Friday, 03 June 2011 11:14
