SUMMARY
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AAV - Active Age Volunteering– is a small-scale Erasmus+ partnership funded by the European Commission through the Luxembourg National Agency, Anefore.
It aims to strengthen the capacity of volunteering organisations to design, manage, and maintain long-term programmes that mobilise older people as active volunteers, reducing the digital divide and promoting lifelong learning, intergenerational solidarity, and active aging.
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OBJECTIVES
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Promote the inclusion of older people by valuing their contribution as fundamental resources and fostering solidarity between generations.
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Strengthen the organisational capacities of volunteering organisations through improved planning, management and sustainability of senior volunteering programmes.
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Bridge the digital divide by training organisations on how to engage seniors in digital tools and accessible solutions, thereby improving efficiency, resilience and seniors’ digital skills.
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Boost transnational cooperation by sharing good practices among organisations, senior professionals and European networks.
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Develop sustainable communication and dissemination strategies to raise awareness of the impact of senior volunteering and encourage replication of successful models.
ACTIVITIES
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Activity 1: Project Kick-Off Meeting
A three-day event held in Luxembourg, bringing all partners together in person. During the meeting, the Project Handbook is presented and discussed, and the Memoranda of Understanding are signed.
The programme also includes two study visits to local organisations, giving partners the opportunity to learn more about the project’s main themes: volunteering and older people.
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Activity 2: Needs Assessment
A research and consultation process designed to gather insights from organisations working in the project’s key areas. The aim is to identify existing capacities, challenges, specific needs and examples of good practice related to senior volunteering and the digital divide at national level.
The activity results in 3 National Reports (LU, NL, BE) and one Benelux Needs Assessment Report (available in EN, FR, NL) bringing together the main findings and conclusions from the three countries.
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Activity 3: Capacity-Building Programme
A face-to-face training programme held in Brussels, coordinated and developed by CESES and specifically addressed to LSC and SPDH.
The programme includes two practical one-day workshops. The first focuses on the management of senior volunteering programmes, covering the design of initiatives tailored to older people, activity planning, volunteer recruitment, motivation and retention, and the long-term sustainability of programmes.
The second workshop addresses the digital divide and its impact on the full inclusion and participation of older people in volunteering programmes.
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Activity 4: Pilot Senior Volunteering Initiatives
2 pilot senior volunteering initiatives are organised and implemented in the Netherlands and Luxembourg by SPDH and LSC, with guidance from CESES.
Each pilot involves 20 senior volunteers and promotes their participation in activities that respond to the specific needs of their local communities.
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Activity 5: Communication and Dissemination
This activity covers the project’s overall communication and visibility strategy. It includes:
1. A social media campaign.
2. The creation of a dedicated project page on each partner’s website.
3. Two national dissemination events in Luxembourg and The Hague, bringing together a total of 60 participants.
4. A final European event in Brussels with at least 40 participants.
PARTNERSHIP
3 partners - 3 countries
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CESES, Confederation of European Senior Expert Services
Partner – Belgium
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