• 10 after-school social centers in Transylvania offer volunteering opportunities for seniors
• Seniors will be involved in the academic, personal, and vocational development of 350 children

 

The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation and Hochland Romania are expanding volunteering opportunities for seniors in the Transylvania region who wish to regain their social role by getting involved in social centers dedicated to disadvantaged children in their communities.

The Generations Project was launched in 2019 and, throughout the previous school years, has brought significant thematic learning outcomes for children, who have substantially broadened their horizons of knowledge and improved their school performance as a result of the involvement of senior mentors. Through intergenerational sessions, children learned to love history and geography, practiced various musical instruments, explored numerous creative techniques, revived local crafts, improved their foreign language communication skills, practiced various sports, grew closer to the world of plants and animals, learned culinary arts and good manners in society, as well as many other extremely useful skills.

The successful experience of intergenerational collaboration will be expanded in the 2021–2022 school year across 10 Generations Centers in the counties of Alba, Bistrița, Brașov, Mureș, Satu Mare, and Timiș. These centers will support 350 children in need, with the involvement of 80 valuable seniors who wish to contribute to the children’s academic, vocational, or personal development. Facilitating collaboration between the two age groups and the exchange of values and experience represents a solution both for preventing school dropout among at-risk children and for combating social isolation among older adults, by creating opportunities for active ageing.

The Generations Centres, offer children from low-income families an environment in which they can broaden their knowledge, grow emotionally, and develop harmoniously through the diversity of activities they take part in, as well as through material support. Academic support for various curriculum subjects, educational clubs, vocational workshops, counseling sessions, and the inspirational role models provided by the involved seniors all contribute positively to children’s development and to improving their quality of life.

At the The Generations Centres,community seniors become mentors for children and valuable resources for the social centers. Here, they pass on their knowledge and life experience to younger generations, put their passions and talents to generous use, and, last but not least, receive the respect and appreciation they deserve and gain new friends.

Intergenerational relationships, through their diversity and complementarity, lead to visible progress in the lives of all those involved and contribute to the sustainable future of communities and society as a whole. Children learn interesting and useful things, improve their school results, and develop practical skills, while older adults feel useful in an environment designed to nurture their dignity and self-esteem. Social centers become more attractive by offering children an extremely diverse portfolio of activities.

In the 2021–2022 school year, the Generations program, supported by Hochland Romania, is carried out in the following social centers:

1. Day Center for Children in Cenade, Caritas Mitropolitan Greek Catholic Association Blaj – Alba County
2. Association for Older People and Children in Difficulty “Familia 2004”, Blaj – Alba County
3. “Micii Inocenți” Day Center, Bistrița-Năsăud, Inocenți Foundation – Bistrița County
4. “Diaconia” Day Center, Brașov, Diaconia International Aid Foundation – Brașov County
5. “Here for You” Educational Center, Brașov, Aici pentru tine Association – Brașov County
6. Talentum Foundation, Târgu Mureș – Mureș County
7. “Buckner” Day Center, Târnăveni, Buckner Foundation – Mureș County
8. “Casa Maria II” Day Center, Reghin, Orthodox Philanthropy Association Alba Iulia – Mureș County
9. Saint Mary’s Protection Association, Satu Mare – Satu Mare County
10. “Yes for School – I Invest in My Future” Program, Partoș, Semper Agape Association – Timiș County

 

Among the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is ensuring the continuity of after-school social center activities while complying with health and safety regulations, with many activities being carried out online. Therefore, seniors who wish to become volunteers for children need basic digital skills that allow them to carry out activities using technology when in-person meetings are not possible. Those who wish to get involved can find out more by calling 0800-460-001 – the Seniors’ Helpline, a free and confidential line for the elderly of Romania, or can register directly by filling in an online form on the website www.intergenerational.ro.

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About The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation

The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation is one of Romania’s leading non-governmental organizations, contributing to the development of civil society through social and educational programs. With over 30 years of activity, the Foundation supports children, young people, and older adults through sustainable interventions based on intergenerational exchange of experience and values. The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation is among the few organizations drawing attention to the phenomenon of population ageing and its imminent effects on society, proposing practical solutions to improve the quality of life of older people. More details about the Foundation’s programs are available at fundatiaregala.ro.

About the Generations Program

The Generations Centers create volunteering opportunities for seniors who wish to take on a new role in the community and provide a framework in which children receive educational, personal, and vocational support. By adopting the intergenerational methodology developed by The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation in 2015 and involving local stakeholders in the development of social services, the project creates a lasting connection between the centers and the local community. Since 2015, over 30 after-school day centers have received grants through the Generations Program and implemented the intergenerational method; over 650 seniors have become active again through volunteering for more than 2,000 primary and lower secondary school children from low-income families. More details are available at www.intergenerational.ro.

About Hochland Romania

Hochland’s story began in 1927 with the founding of the company and the production of its first product at the Hochland cheese factory in Lindenberg, Germany. Present in Romania since 1993, Hochland is the market leader in the cheese category and the most loved brand in this segment. With family as a core brand value and a strong desire to invest in the community, starting in 2019 Hochland became a partner of The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation in the Generations project, aiming to bring positive change to communities of single retired seniors in Romania, as well as to the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. For more details, visit: www.hochland.ro.