SBC intergenerational project
By Lynne Marshall
Student Community Focus In Jedburgh
• Garden maintenance• Volunteering at a Social Centre• Assisting at an exercise class• Assisting at a coffee morning• Walk It training
Background
• Need for volunteers to support activities for older people
• We could offer defined volunteering opportunities of interest to young people
• Involvement of different organisations• Discovering that older people do not want
activities just for old people!
How the project has worked
• Jedburgh involved only 15-20 hours per week with projects running all year.
• Peebles High School is a much larger school and so we have broken down activities into blocks
• Students volunteering hours have counted towards local challenge/Saltire awards arranged through the local Volunteer Centre.
Positive outcomes
“I love coming for the company”
What were the challenges
• Time available• Keeping students interested• Staff time• Remembering to send text messages!
Feedback• We asked students to review their years
volunteering… -Have you enjoyed the project -Was it what you expected -Has it changed your perception of older people -And if so, in what ways -What skills have you acquired -What would you change/imp
Responses
• Enjoyed/would recommend to others• More sociable than expected• Have learned gardening and social skills• They need more help than I expected• Start earlier so go on longer
Future
• Add in new schools• Look at opportunities for fourth year students• Facilitate group projects• Find more hours in the day!