We All are Europe - AESAEC

Practicing a senior volunteering exchange action through role-play
Exercise
Please split yourselves into two groups and imagine that Group A represents the board of a hosting
organisation and Group B a group of senior volunteers. In order to be prepared for the different
roles involved please read carefully the following profile and set-up:
Group A:
You are the board of a non-profit organisation that represents older people in a German city.
You collaborate with experts, service organisations and self-help groups, and the organisation
also runs a day-care centre for older people. You have been contacted by a French organisation
that has similar aims and they propose sending to you a small group of retired people (including
an electrician, a nurse, a housewife and a carpenter) to volunteer with your organisation for a
period of three weeks.
Discuss the following topics:
Would you be challenged in thinking about this opportunity
What would you expect from this volunteering project
What information would you ask the French organisation to provide before you make a
decision
How would you prepare for the project
Group B.
You are a group of retired French volunteers (among you there is an electrician, a nurse, a
housewife and a carpenter). You are members of a French organisation that represents the rights
of older people. You would like to improve your organisation and also your German language
skills. Some of you studied German at school and have been a few times to Germany and Austria
for short visits. The board of your organisation plans a volunteer exchange with a German older
people’s organisation. You are thinking about applying to be involved.
Discuss the following topics:
What would you expect from this volunteering project
What would you ask from the prospective host organisation
How would you prepare for the project
After each person has defined and formulated his / her expectations, needs and fears in connection
with this senior volunteering exchange action, please “meet” each other to exchange approaches
and information and to agree on a basic framework about how the action can be prepared and implemented
successfully.
Read / Discuss
4.3.2. Opportunities and risks of international volunteering
Read the first part of an Italian volunteer’s testimonial (adapted from di Pietro, (2006): Still active.
A training course for senior volunteers) about her international volunteering experience in an organic
agriculture co-operative. The volunteer should have been involved in the different activities
of the co-operative, such as promotion, production and distribution of the products.
Report of Italian volunteer (part 1)
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I could tell enjoyable anecdotes, about my trip, my luggage and the transhipment
of an over 60, as I was immediately called upon to prove that I belong
to those “Active citizens who still have physical energy”. However I’d
rather describe myself as a clumsy and a bit provincial woman, a sort of a
“grandmother with a big suitcase”.
In my bag, indeed, I had a bit of everything: a small moka machine “Bialetti”,
some organic coffee, some food as a present for my hosts, some
“Navelli” saffron and other nonsense stuff to compensate for the terrible
truth: I DO NOT KNOW ANY FRENCH AND I KNOW NOTHNING ABOUT COM-
PUTERS! What will they do with me What will I do with them