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Unlocking Potential ProjectWashington DC

Study Visit Report

This report was produced in February 2010 by the Volunteer DevelopmentAgency. As a result of a merger between the Volunteer DevelopmentAgency and nine Volunteer Centres on April 1st 2010 the UnlockingPotential Project is now delivered by the new organisation Volunteer Now.

Volunteer Now February 2010

The Study Visit party with Norman Houston, Director of the Northern Ireland Bureauin their Washington DC offices.

Foreward by Clive Gowdy, Chair of the Unlocking Potential AdvisoryGroup:-

To be considered a success, a study visit must meet a number of key objectives.First, there must be a tailored programme of meetings with relevant people andgroups. Second, there must be a clear agenda and focus for the planneddiscussions and deliberations in line with the aims and objectives of the workbeing undertaken. Third, the participants must have a shared sense of purposeas to the work they will do on the visit. Fourth, there must be an open-mindedapproach to all of the discussions and an active engagement with those visited toensure the most productive outcome. On all counts, this study visit met andexceeded those objectives.

Indeed, the visit succeeded on a number of different levels. At the level of inter-personal relationships, the visit produced a great group dynamic. The individualscomprising the study tour party were drawn from a wide range of differentorganisations and this could have been problematic. However, the party gelledquickly and the members formed a strong team who supported each other andblended their particular interests into a shared focus for the discussions whichwere held. This had the effect of ensuring that the discussions were lively andpurposeful and covered a consistent spectrum of issues.


It also meant that the internal relationships within the group were very positiveand this resulted in a lot of discussion between the members outside of themeetings. Issues of common concern were aired freely and openly and theexchange of ideas was mutually beneficial. Individuals learned more about theother organisations represented on the visit and about their thinking and this willbe valuable in the months ahead as a number of policy and practical issues areaddressed back in Northern Ireland in relation to volunteering and the needs ofolder people.

At the business strategy level, the visit succeeded in engaging at a high levelwith those involved in policy formulation and delivery in the U.S in relation toolder people and the benefits of volunteering. The discussions with bodies suchas the Administration on Aging, the National Council on Aging and the AmericanAssociation of Retired People were particularly valuable in this regard. Thedeliberations dealt with the statutory framework within which volunteering and theneeds of older people were addressed and provided a very valuable insight intothe development of policy thinking and new initiatives in these areas. All of theindividuals who met with the group were open and frank in this regard and themeetings were both stimulating and highly productive in terms of moving thegroup’s thinking forward.

It was also the case that the discussions with all of the organisations stimulateddebate on the fundamental issues being considered within the UnlockingPotential project. The objectives of the project and the aims of the study visitwere explained at the start of each meeting and each of the participants tailoredtheir presentations to give their take on the issues. This was particularly helpful tothe group by providing a fresh set of perspectives and encouraged questions anddiscussion about the ideas which emerged. It was therefore a very valuable partof the study visit and will ensure that the ongoing work on Unlocking Potential willbe informed and stimulated by the thinking which emerged on the visit.

The visit also succeeded in terms of experiencing sound practical examples ofengagement with volunteering. At this practical level it was encouraging to seehow a number of organisations had managed to build a strong base of activitiesthrough the involvement of volunteers. In particular, the work of Partners in Care,Greater DC Cares and the Experience Corps all demonstrated the innovativeways in which volunteers can be embraced within a proactive framework ofaction to serve the needs of the community. To take just one of these examples,the work of Partners in Care showed the ways in which a social contract can bedeveloped between the donors of voluntary service and the recipients of thatservice. Everyone has talents that can be used to benefit others and therecipients of service can make a contribution to the overall operations of theorganisation by giving something back – even if that is only by donating items forsale in the organisation’s shop. This co-operative approach showed howcommunities can build a strong network of self help through volunteering and issomething which might be developed within Northern Ireland.


In overall terms therefore, the visit was a valuable opportunity for all themembers to gain new information and fresh perspectives on the issues ofvolunteering and older people and it has been of significant value in the workcurrently under way in the Unlocking Potential Project. A lot of interesting ideasand practical initiatives were encountered and the discussion and debate hasbeen helpful in addressing some of the key issues within the project.

Thanks are due to staff of the Volunteer Development Agency for the excellentorganisation of the visit and to all of the organisations we met in the U.S for theiropen and informative engagement with the group. Thanks are also due to TheAtlantic Philanthropies for funding the visit and so facilitating this valuablelearning experience.

Clive GowdyChair of the Unlocking Potential Advisory Group


Contents

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2.0 OVERVIEW OF MEETINGS. 2

2.1 The Administration on Aging 22.2 National Council on Aging 42.3 TimeBanking - Partners in Care 52.4 Civic Ventures 72.5 Experience Corps 92.6 Greater DC Cares – A flexible approach to action 122.7 Georgetown University Hospital 142.8 Grey Power – AARP 15

3.0 CULTURE SHOCK? 17

3.1 Ethos to ‘Serve’ 183.2 Overcoming Barriers 203.3 Range of Opportunities 203.4 Job Substitution and Expenses 213.5 Policies and Procedures 223.6 Baby Boomers 22

4.0 LEARNING FOR ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS 23

4.1 (The need for more) Challenging Volunteer Roles for older people 234.2 Positive P.R to promote volunteering to older people… 244.3 Involvement in State Facilities (Schools, Hospitals) 254.4 Joined up Working 254.5 Give control to Older People themselves 26

5.0 OLDER PEOPLE ISSUES 27

6.0 CONCLUSIONS 28

7.0 PARTICIPANT SUGGESTIONS 29

8.0 PROJECT OUTCOMES 31

9.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 32

10.0 PARTICIPANTS 33

Volunteer Now February 2010 1

1. Introduction

Spring 2009 marked the beginning of preparations for a week long study visit tothe United States in October 09 as part of the Unlocking Potential Project. TheUnlocking Potential Project is a five year project funded by The AtlanticPhilanthropies that aims to increase the volunteer involvement of those aged60+.

After consultation with a number of parties, including The Atlantic Philanthropies,Washington DC was decided upon as the destination. As well as being thepolitical capital of the United States it is also the setting for the headquarters of alarge number of the major age interest and voluntary organisations.

A party of twelve people were identified, all of whom have a professional interestin volunteering and older people’s issues. The group was made up ofrepresentatives from the Volunteer Centre Network, the University of the ThirdAge, Age Concern Help the Aged NI, the office of the Older People’s Advocate,Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, the Voluntary and Community Unit (DSD)as well as the Unlocking Potential Project.

This report is an overview of the study visit and relays the views and experiencesof those who took part in the study visit, whilst not attempting to present a unitedview or opinion of the issues at hand, comments of individuals intersperse thereport.

The main purpose of this visit was to learn about policy and practice in a U.Scontext relating to the engagement and involvement of older people asvolunteers. This information gathered will be applied to improve the practice andperformance of the Unlocking Potential team, inform the policies and practices ofvolunteer involving organisations and provide information and challenge thefeedback of policy makers and funders.

It was hoped that as part of the visit participants would:- visit volunteer programmes specifically involving older people. hear from older volunteers themselves about their experiences. meet with representatives from volunteer involving and age sector

organisations to gather good practice on volunteering activities.

After travelling from Belfast via London, the group arrived in Washington DC lateon Sunday 19th October and settled in to the rather eye catching surroundings ofthe Hotel Helix in preparation for the week ahead.

A busy week of visits commenced on the 20th October with an orientation dayhosted by the Northern Ireland Bureau. Here the group met with Norman


Houston, Director of the Bureau, and his team who provided support to theorganisation of the visit.

Norman gave an interesting overview of the role of the Bureau and how itrepresents the interests of Northern Ireland across the U.S and the relationshipthat exists with the British and Irish Governments.

Tony Silberfeld, Head of Press and Political Affairs at the Bureau gave the groupa very informative and interesting overview of ‘how Washington works’ in termsof federal government, the changes in the political landscape since theinauguration of President Obama and how the system is fed into by organisationsand lobbying bodies large and small. In terms of policy and cultural comparisonsof the lives of older people in the U.S in relation to a Northern Irish context theimpact of the global financial recession has had effects on both sides of theAtlantic. The main issue in the U.S affecting all Americans and perhapsparticularly older Americans at the time of the visit was the debate surroundingproposed health care reforms. Many of the large organisations that lobby andadvocate on older people’s issues were embroiled in this complicated debate.

It is clear that the economic downturn has affected the lives of older Americanswho depend in the main on private pensions and are therefore less likely to beable to retire at the age of 60 due to the decreased value of their pensions.

Late in the afternoon the group visited the U.S Capitol for a tour organised by theBureau and then visited the Library of Congress and Union Station to experiencea real flavour of Washington and American life.

2.0 Overview of Meetings.

The group undertook a series of visits to a number of different organisations overthe course of the week, brief details of each along with the insights of theparticipants is outlined in the following sections.

2.1 The Administration on Aging

On the morning of Tuesday 20th, the group met with representatives from theAdministration on Aging (AoA), headed up by Robert Hornyak, Director of theOffice of Core Programs. The AoA is a department of the Federal Governmentand has a relatively small budget of $1.4 Billion per annum given that thepopulation of Americans aged 60+ exceeds 60 million. The main aims andobjectives of the AoA tie into the Older American’s Act originally passed byCongress in 1965 and updated and amended as recently as 2006. AoA providesfunding to the National Council on Aging which in turn funds local programmesthat aim to engage older people with their communities. Some 20,000 providers


are supported across the U.S with some 500,000 volunteers directly involved(this roughly equates to an average of 25 volunteers per organisation).

Success of the AoA depends on working collaboratively with other federalgovernment departments that have larger budgets but can see the benefit tothem of supporting care givers and older people to stay healthy and engaged intheir community.

When asked if the AoA faced challenges in making older people groupssustainable, their representatives explained that they encourage and support aprofit making entity which is attached to the older people’s groups. The profitfrom this can be used to fund a volunteer co-ordinator. Funding is important butthere must also be a drive and motivation by older people themselves to takeresponsibility for the sustainability of their groups, by not only looking for ways togenerate profit but also by working collaboratively with other organisations.

Clive Gowdy with Deborah Burns-Kuhn and Marla Buschfrom the AoA.

KMcC “The Visit to the Administration on Aging was an opportunity to hear whatgovernment is doing to encourage volunteering for older people and what plansthey have for the future. I was surprised at the small budget for older people$1.4b across the U.S and with such a small budget it was discovered that the(AoA) team require to work closely with federal health and different agencies toshare resources and pull together on policies.”

BM “The Volunteering Programmes it (AoA) has created such as the DiseasePrevention Programme and the Care Giver Support Programme, demonstratesthe effectiveness of a more joined up approach in providing a successful careservice in collaboration with organisations such as local transport and housingorganisations.”


2.2 National Council on Aging

The group met with Tom Endres, Vice President for Civic Engagement, with theNational Council on Aging. NCOA work alongside government (Administrationon Ageing) to influence policy and practice. Tom Endres highlighted partnershipworking between government, voluntary sector and age sector is a key elementof America’s success.

NCOA act as the conduit to distribute funding from the AoA and others to smallercommunity groups across America. Some of these have been granteddemonstration project status and showcase their work to interested partiesnationally and internationally. One of these demonstration projects is thePartners in Care project that NCOA facilitated a visit to.

NCOA and the programmes they support are part funded by The AtlanticPhilanthropies, when asked by the group what the intentions were when thisfunding finished Tom explained that whilst intending to continue with thoseprogrammes that are sustainable, there was a realisation that not all will be.NCOA encouraged organisations to investigate ways to diversify their fundingstreams, reiterating the message highlighted by the AoA of encouragingorganisations to develop a profit making element in their work. An organisationthat acts as the licenser for a monitoring software package was cited as anexample of this.

Tom fielded questions from the group relating to the involvement of oldervolunteers by the supported projects. He explained that the model of involvingvolunteers they encourage is to allow people to do a number of different roles.The main aim is to provide a needs based approach by encouraging volunteersto work in multi-skilled groups. One suggested benefit of having multi-roledvolunteers was that if one volunteer is unable to carry out their volunteeringactivity for whatever reason another volunteer from the group will be able to stepin and perform the task.

When asked how people from lower socio-economic backgrounds areencouraged to become involved in volunteering, the system of stipends wasexplained whereby people receive a financial allowance whilst undertaking theirvoluntary role. Educational incentives also exist where volunteers receivescholarships or educational credits after volunteering for a certain number ofhours. These educational credits can be passed on by an older volunteer to achild or grandchild for instance. Given the different context in Northern Ireland itwas asked if this had led to a debate on incentivising volunteering in the U.S, itwas explained that by and large stipends weren’t viewed as a contentious issue.

The visit to NCOA gave the group a further insight into the age sector in the U.Sand the link up between local projects and organisations, funders and thegovernment.


2.3 TimeBanking - Partners in Care

On Tuesday afternoon the group travelled to Pasadena in Maryland to visit oneof the AoA’s supported “Age In Place” projects, Partners in Care. Partners inCare is a Time Banking project that has a core aim of enabling older people tolive independently in their own homes. Established in 1993 with 26 membersPartners in Care has grown to a current membership of 2000+.

The Time Banking concept, originally developed by Edgar Khan in the 1980s, isa democratic time exchange system in which members can bank credits byperforming tasks for other members such as gardening, driving or shopping. Alltasks are weighted equally in time value whether it be ironing or providing legaladvice.

The group heard from CEO and founder member Barbara Huston about thejourney undertaken by Partners in Care and met some of the older volunteers or‘members’ themselves who were working in the onsite boutique.

Barbara explained how as the project matured and was perceived as permanentby it’s members and the community they were starting to observe that somepeople whilst in good health and independent were building up a bank of creditsthat would be available to them to draw down if their circumstances changethrough ill health, bereavement or onset of a disability as they grow older.

As part of the Building Change Trust initiative the Volunteer DevelopmentAgency has been facilitating awareness raising of Time Banking in NorthernIreland. This has involved representatives from Time Banking projects inScotland and Volunteer Development Scotland coming over and deliveringworkshops to local organisations on Time Banking, how it works and what theirexperiences have been. These projects are still relatively new and theadvantage of the visit to Partners in Care was that it is an established project that

CR “I found it very sensible and the idea that a voluntary organisation can bebusiness like but shouldn’t be run like a business is something that we shouldconsider carefully.”

MD “The project under their (NCOA) auspices that rang most bells with me wasthe Wisdom Works project which fostered civic engagement among older peoplethrough self-directed teams.”

BM “I was very impressed by the philosophy of the National Council of Aging inWashington helping the non profit making sector develop their expertise, to takethe lead in tapping into the limitless talent pod that adults 55+ represent now andin the future.”


has been in existence for some 16 years and in that time has grown from a smallnumber to having a membership of over 2000.

This Time Banking project clearly illustrated how, with the right system in place,older people can be supported by the community and support each other withoutbeing perceived as passive recipients of services. All visit participantshighlighted Time Banking as a concept they would like to see piloted in NorthernIreland.

BM “(Partners in Care) is an excellent example of how a communityresponded to a need, by empowering older people to remain independent intheir own homes through a Time Banking/time exchange programme.”

BO “(Partners in Care) gave older people volunteering opportunities whilstalso meeting the very real needs of older people within the local community…..and gave purpose, value and method combined with respect, dignity to boththe volunteer and recipients of the services.”

CG “Partners in Care showed the ways in which a social contract can bedeveloped between the donors of voluntary service and the recipients of thatservice.….. This co-operative approach showed how communities can build astrong network of self help through volunteering and is something which mightbe developed within Northern Ireland.”

DF “It struck me that the work they (PIC) undertook had clear potential forNorthern Ireland….. The approach, based on ‘parity, not charity’, supportedolder people to ‘age in place’ and affirm independence with dignity. Bydeploying an asset approach as opposed to what they term a ‘HumanServices’ approach, they support members to identify their gifts and talents ….Of clear relevance in this visit was that the model moves away from the socialservices model, where older people are viewed through the lens of need. Inthe words of CEO, Barbara Huston, that means that older people are startingwith a deficit. (Partners in Care’s) approach of recognising gifts and talentspromotes dignity and empowerment for all their members.”

DF “The concept of Time Banking is one which I believe has potentialapplication in Northern Ireland, as a response not only to meeting the needs ofan ageing population, but also as an approach to promoting dignity andpositive ageing and mobilising volunteering opportunities across the board.”


2.4 Civic Ventures

The group met with John Gomperts, President, Michelle Hynes, Vice Presidentand Cal Halvorsen from Civic Ventures.

Civic Ventures in their own words is leading the call to engage millions of babyboomers as a vital workforce for change. Through an inventive programmeportfolio, original research, strategic alliances, and the power of people’s own lifestories, Civic Ventures demonstrates the value of experience in solving serioussocial problems – from education to the environment and health care tohomelessness. Founded in 1998 by social entrepreneur and author MarcFreedman, Civic Ventures works to define the second half of adult life as a timeof individual and social renewal.

The group had a very candid discussion with the representatives from CivicVentures on issues such as stipends, they recognised that stipends do blur theboundaries between volunteering and paid work. However they had a sense thatstipends give people, who otherwise would not be able to do so for socio-economic reasons the opportunity to play an important role in society, andthereby create positive social change. On the other side of the coin theexistence of stipends can mean in certain instances that only so many stipendedvolunteer ‘places’ are available due to budgetary constraints sosome individuals may still be excluded for financial reasons.

Civic Ventures believe that older people and particularly the baby boomergeneration aren’t and won’t be as interested in just keeping busy in the thirdstage of their lives but do and will want to be engage themselves in meaningfulactivities that will have an impact and outcome.

The meeting with Civic Ventures highlighted the fresh look at the needs of thebaby boomer generation. The media and in many cases policy makers are

Study Visit Party at Partners in Care Some of the Volunteers in the PIC Boutique


presenting the actual and predicted increases in the percentage of older adults insocieties in the developed world in a negative way. Civic Ventures and theirinitiatives attempt to vocalise the counter argument that a confident andexperienced generation of baby boomers present a wealth of skills and energy toboost civic society. Part of their organisational ethos is to challenge perceptionsof becoming older such as people seeing reaching their 50s as a queue to startwinding down in career or community spheres. They suggest that this life stageshould be viewed as an opportunity to embark on an ‘encore’ paid careerperhaps in a field of interest that for whatever reason had been unavailableearlier in life. It should also bring opportunities to put the skills, talents andexperience developed during a life and career to use in a voluntary sensewhether it be offering expert consultancy to community or voluntary organisationsor if preferred by taking on a voluntary role in a field totally unrelated to previouscareers, such as being a volunteer park manager or a guide in a museum.

The notion is that retirement, rather than being viewed as a full stop on a careeror an active life, should actually be grasped by the individual as a pause thatgives an opportunity to step back and assess how they want to spend the nextstage of their lives in a manner that will fulfil them emotionally and physically.

It was clear from the visit that the impact of the maturation of the baby boomergeneration has at least been raised as a priority for discussion and action bygovernment and non profit organisations. Much of this discussion haschallenged accepted realities of what growing older is and can be. It was clearfrom the reactions of the study group that there is a wider local audience for adiscussion of the issues and messages presented around this debate.


Cal Halvorson, John Gomperts and MichelleHynes from Civic Ventures with Clive Gowdy.

2.5 Experience Corps

The group met with a panel of high level representatives from Experience Corps,including CEO Lester Strong.

Experience Corps has established itself as an independent organisation havinggrown out of a project within Civic Ventures. As a project they place oldervolunteers as mentors within schools to assist students with reading. Many ofthese schools are situated in inner city and African American communities acrossAmerica that suffer from economic and social deprivation. Many of the oldervolunteers are drawn from within these communities themselves which helps toimprove intergenerational and social relations. Experience Corps has roughly2,000 members (volunteers) placed in 170 schools across 22 cities, providingaround 600,000 hours of support to young people each year.

KMcC “The Civic Ventures Team came across as a PR group focusing onchanging attitudes and culture enabling volunteer groups to get on with theirprogrammes while confident that changes to the stereotyping of older people wasbeing challenged.”

MD “Civic Ventures had an emphasis on what they called Encore Careers.While they were interested in volunteering they were more interested inleveraging on it to develop second careers. They talked about keeping peopleinterested and involved through the use of stipends.”


Experience Corps has been successful in addressing one of the challengesfacing the Unlocking Potential Project, that is, to recruit those older people fromlower socio-economic groups who may be less likely to travel regularly outside oftheir local community and have historically been the hardest to reach throughtraditional volunteer involving organisations. This model of reaching out to hardto reach older people by showing them the need of the children of their localcommunity for their help is one that has been supported by the findings of themarket research commissioned by the Unlocking Potential Project in 2008. Inthe focus groups a proportion of people attested that they did or would volunteerto help those in a position less fortunate or in greater need than themselves.This does present a challenge if those older people who are less financially welloff are perpetually being informed by the media, age sector organisations andindeed their own experience that they are the most vulnerable, most isolated andpoorest members of society. There is a danger that these people will perceivethemselves as passive recipients in society who by being placed or placingthemselves at the lowest point on a scale of neediness or deservedness cannotperceive that they hold any value as individuals that society would want or need.

It is clear that a challenge to the Project is to show all older people irrespective ofbackground or circumstances that they do have value in society and that byvolunteering every individual can make a tangible difference to themselves andothers in their community.

In the past couple of years Experience Corps have carried out some research toinvestigate the impact of the Experience Corps model on the school age studentas well as the individual older person themselves. The results show a positiveeffect on both parties, Experience Corps tutors reported improvements in mentalhealth and physical functioning (including mobility, stamina and flexibility) andmaintained overall health longer. In addition, Experience Corps membersreported more physical activity, larger social networks and higher self-esteem asa result of their participation.

This research provides good groundwork for the Unlocking Potential researchstudy in conjunction with the University of Ulster that is commencing in March2010 focusing on the impact of volunteering on the self rated health of thoseaged 60+.

Interestingly as well as using targeted recruitment campaigns which focus on theneeds of the organisation or community and also highlight how the individual canmake a difference, Experience Corps gets support from doctors who promote


volunteering on health grounds to their older patients. With promotion of thisinternational research and commencement of the Unlocking Potential researchstudy this recognition by healthcare professionals of the part volunteering canplay on healthy ageing is something that has to be promoted in Northern Ireland.

Lester Strong (CEO, Experience Corps)with Clive Gowdy

BM “During the study week I learnt more about not only the benefits toorganisations of involving the skills and expertise of older volunteers, but alsothe positive impact to the health and well being of the individual volunteering.”

CR “I think it (Experience Corps) enables and values older volunteers andreally utilises skills that can be overlooked. They talked of “creating powerfulopportunities for older adults to meet society’s greatest challenges” this is avery empowering statement. ….The only downside of this for me was the issueof job substitution. Although I realise that people on low income need theopportunity to earn the stipend I thought it was interesting that only AARP foundthis not completely acceptable.”

DF “The experience of Experience Corps is again an idea with potentialapplication to NI. Creating opportunities to deploy older volunteers to address asocietal issue, in this case poor literacy and numeracy among school agechildren, has many positive elements. In the first instance, Experience Corpsresearch demonstrated that it has positive health implications for the volunteersthemselves. Secondly, it promotes positive intergenerational relationships in oursociety. Finally, in deploying expertise towards a societal issue, it againpromotes and enables the continued contribution and engagement of olderpeople in our society.”


2.6 Greater DC Cares – A flexible approach to action

A visit to Greater DC Cares (a local volunteer centre) highlighted the need tohave a good variety of opportunities for all volunteers and indeed older people.Greater DC Cares has had great success with its flexible approach tovolunteering. Those interested attend a one off orientation day and then receivea weekly email of all opportunities available. These include a comprehensivecalendar of one off opportunities that allow people to dip in and out of volunteerprojects when it suits them. These one off action days also supply an ‘army’ ofvolunteers for non profit organisations to enable them to perform large one offtasks that they otherwise would not have been able to with their existing staff orserial volunteers.

Greater DC Cares also provide opportunities for individuals to lend theirprofessional skills and expertise to a pro bono consulting team that will completea project for a charity or non profit organisation.

Whilst these methods have been tried on a sporadic basis in Northern Ireland amore structured programme aimed at older people may offer a greater variety ofopportunities and ways to get involved in volunteering that will fit into the widevariety of lifestyles, and personal circumstances that exist in older age groups.

The success of this model at such a scale presents opportunities for localorganisations and volunteer centres across all age ranges. Greater DC Careshas particular success with those of University age and opportunities should existin Northern Ireland to target this audience through these methods, particularly inurban areas or those with a University population.

Staff outlined how government call to action days promoted volunteeringgenerally at various times throughout the year, and as these entice people tovolunteer for the first time opportunities to stay involved throughout the year canthen be provided. Their impression was that the U.S government is verysupportive of volunteering- i.e. 9/11 day of service, Martin Luther King Day,recent call to service by President Obama.

Greater DC Cares admitted that in the past they would be perceived as being a‘young person’s organisation’ but were actively piloting new ways to encouragethose from older age groups to volunteer through their organisation. One suchmethod was through their skilled volunteer programme.

We know that those who are retired or are at the stage in their lives and careerwhere they may have more control over how many hours they work have awealth of skills and expertise that they may be willing to pass on a voluntaryconsultancy basis. This would give these people the opportunity to volunteer in ahigh impact way over a set period of time to fit around their existing


commitments. Initiatives such as business mentoring with the Prince’s Trustshow that many people, a large number of whom are older, are happy to pass ontheir professional skills to help others in a voluntary capacity if given the rightopportunity for them. All recent research and that carried out by the UnlockingPotential Project has shown that many older people have busy lives, either stillworking, having caring commitments as well as active social activities. Theopportunity for the individual to tailor their voluntary activity to fit around theirareas of expertise and other commitments would fulfil one of the projectobjectives of offering avenues to volunteer that are not widely available atpresent.

Interestingly when asked if national standards are set in the United States forinvolving volunteers Billy Fettweis, Volunteer Manager explained that no nationalstandards existed and that individual organisations may set their own standards.Organisations don’t have to have insurance to link up with Greater DC Cares toprovide one off opportunities rather volunteers are asked to sign a liability waiver,although staff do carry out site visits.

This could be viewed in two ways, yes it may reduce the seeming paralysis thatcan be exerted by health and safety fears on volunteer involving organisations,however our own volunteering good practice standards (nationally recognisedInvesting in Volunteers standard for example) provide organisation with bestpractice guidelines that can only benefit the volunteer, service user and volunteerinvolving organisation.

KMcC “Greater DC Cares was more geared towards younger people although itwas trying to adopt a different approach to engaging older people as volunteers.”

MD “…the coordinator of their skilled volunteer programs talked about how theyuse skilled volunteers in consulting roles and tackle organisational issues suchas governance training. Among those skilled volunteers are victims of therecession who they try to steer into things like working with boards. They havefound that the agencies need to be trained to cope with this new sort ofvolunteer.”

MD “They make use of social networking sites and have happy hours at whichpeople can find out about volunteering opportunities. They have found thatvolunteering in groups is a way of keeping people motivated. I found it strangethat volunteers are not covered by insurance but have to sign a waiver – alsothat they have to pay to take part in service day.”


Danny Hosein and Billy Fettweis host the First Lady Michelle Obama lending herGroup at Greater DC Cares. support to volunteering in Washington DC.

2.7 Georgetown University Hospital

As a member of the study visit party is responsible for volunteer management inthe largest of the Hospital trusts in Northern Ireland a visit was arranged toGeorgetown University Hospital to learn about their experience of involvingvolunteers in this setting.

The group met with Kirsten Carpenter, Director of Volunteer Services, and MollyBillingsley, Director of Nursing Services within the Hospital. Kirsten explainedthat many of their volunteers were recruited from the University from thosestudents who were studying medicine or nursing.

There are many roles that volunteers can get involved in this including hands onpatient work, children support, admin, escorts, meeters/greeters etc.When asked about issues that may be contentious in a Northern Ireland settingsuch as job substitution it was explained that volunteers can’t do things that theywould usually leave to a nursing role but there did seem to be a sense that theadded support provided by volunteers was not generally viewed as jobsubstitution.


Clive Gowdy with Kirsten Carpenter andMolly Billingsley from GeorgetownUniversity Hospital

2.8 Grey Power – AARP

The final visit of the week was to AARP. AARP, formerly known as the AmericanAssociation of Retired Persons, is a United States-based non-governmentalorganisation and interest group. According to its mission statement, it is "a nonprofit, non partisan membership organisation for people aged 50 and over ...dedicated to enhancing quality of life for all as we age," which "provides a widerange of unique benefits, special products, and services for our members." AARPoperates as a non profit advocate for its members and as one of the mostpowerful lobbying groups in the United States, it also sells insurance, investmentfunds and other financial products. AARP claims over 35 million members,making it the largest membership organisation for people aged 50 and over in theU.S.

BM “Georgetown University Hospital Volunteering Scheme was also a goodillustration of how involving volunteers can have a huge impact on hospital staffand improving the hospital experience for patients, carers and families. Thevolunteering service at the hospital did not face the same difficulties that thehealthcare organisations face here in relation to what can be seen as jobsubstitution.”

FJ “Volunteers in some instances are not reimbursed for legitimate expensese.g. travel and food where applicable. It was surprising to hear that volunteersat Georgetown University Hospital received free parking but no furtherassistance with travel to or from the Hospital or food where applicable. Theremay not be an expectation among volunteers that they should receivereasonable expenses to undertake volunteering.”

KMcC “Georgetown University Hospital Volunteer Service is an example ofusing resources to hand as the volunteers tend to be students from theUniversity willing to give time to learn.”


Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded AARP in 1958. AARP evolved from the NationalRetired Teachers Association (NRTA), which Andrus had established in 1947 topromote her philosophy of productive ageing, and in response to the need ofretired teachers for health insurance. After ten years, Andrus opened theorganisation to all Americans over 50, creating AARP.

The group met with a number of representatives from AARP with responsibilitiesincluding economic security, government relations, international affairs andvolunteering. Again as we found with all of the visits in Washington our hostswere happy to have a very candid and open conversation about any aspect oftheir work and how this fitted into U.S culture and government.

AARP outlined their approach to volunteerism, one aspect of which is their do ityourself kits that encourage older people to mobilise themselves in theircommunities. Approximately 30,000 AARP members are registered asvolunteers.

AARP gave an overview of their lobbying work how because of the size of theirmembership they hold real influence over decision makers at federal and localgovernment levels. This mass of members has been achieved by the fact thatthere is real benefit for those aged over 50 to become members of AARP interms of the reduced rates they can avail of for health and vehicle insurance forinstance. This model has been adopted by some organisations locally such asAge Concern in that financial products are provided by them, a variation of thistype of model could be considered for older volunteers. If older volunteers wereidentified as a group they could avail of added benefits such as access toinformation, recognition events or potentially discounted access to financialservices etc. As with stipends this is a contentious issue in terms of the greyarea around incentivisation and volunteering however if a mechanism can bedeveloped that makes older volunteering more visible it may encourage others toget involved or at the very least provide a support network of fellow volunteers tothose already involved.

BO “The political clout of ARRP would be worth having in NI! Theydemonstrated the power of mobilisation – and how that it can have influence onthe political front is something that we need to learn from in respect of our olderpeople.”

MD “At this stage I would have liked to have met with some of the volunteersand got some idea of what it was like at grass roots level. …Toolkits aredeveloped to assist in this work and are available for downloading. Through thisprogramme they aim to expand on traditional ways to volunteer by connectingpeople with simple activities, time flexible opportunities and a wide variety ofinterest areas.”


Clearly the strength of lobbying bodies such as AARP had clear impact on thedevelopment of policy in a U.S context.

Christine Irvine and Billy Eagleson with Lorraine Driscoll,responsible for volunteering and civic engagement withAARP.

3.0 Culture Shock?

The opportunity and indeed challenge offered by the study visit was to travel to adifferent country and culture to find out more about policies, initiatives andpractices and to transfer any learning back into our own cultural, policy andlegislative system.

Whilst it would be impossible to replicate the cultural and social backdrop againstwhich all volunteering initiatives and projects involving and supporting olderpeople are developed in the United States, learning more about them can informand challenge existing practices and thinking patterns here in Northern Ireland.

The following sections give a flavour of the reflections of the group members onthe cultural and practical similarities and differences to our own jurisdiction.

BO “The extent and need for lobbying and advocacy on the political front wasfascinating and was clearly a key aspect of all the organisations we visited. Cameacross strongly in the discussion with AARP”

DF “This is further developed in the range of agencies leading initiatives on afederal and state basis to promote and provide opportunities for volunteering.Americorps; Peacecorps; Citizencorps; Seniorcorps; and VISTA are all examplesof substantial federally led programmes operating in this arena.”


Participants made a number of observations on the cultural differences theyexperienced on the visit:-

3.1 Ethos to ‘Serve’

Terminology such as ‘service’ and ‘toserve’ is commonly used in the U.S todescribe volunteering. Thispermeated down from governmentlevel with their days of service andserve.gov initiative and organisationssuch as Service Corps. Theconnotations of service in the U.Sevoke images of patriotism and beinga good citizen. It was very clear thatthe government led initiatives certainlyresult in the volunteering that takesplace in the U.S being more visibleand perhaps it is more closer to thenational conscience that it would behere. However it is worth bearing inmind that concern exists in the U.S asit does here about the percentage ofthe population volunteering. Statisticsfrom the U.S Department of Labor for2009 show that just under 27% of thepopulation volunteered and just under24% of those aged 65+ volunteered.These figures compare with 21% ofpeople in Northern Ireland and 17% ofthose aged 65+ (It’s all about time(2007)). White middle classAmericans are more likely to volunteerthan their less well off counterparts orpeople from African American orHispanic backgrounds.

So whilst similar issues are faced in the U.S in relation to increasing the numbersof volunteers, volunteering is given a higher profile by the government and withinthose sections of society that traditionally volunteer there is an expectation thatindividuals should volunteer.

An American approach to ageing?Captured by study visit participantDuane Farrell.


FJ “Volunteering (in the U.S) is perceived as a civic duty at all stages of life.There is a strong societal culture of self reliance with a much weaker welfaresystem than in the United Kingdom.”

CR “The fact that there was a definite expectation that older people would, asa matter of course, volunteer. I’m not sure that this seemed more focusedbecause it was Washington rather than “America” or that the type of voluntaryactivity would have been different in other parts of the country.”

DF “….the concept of giving of your time to help others is firmly embedded inthe American psyche, both at individual level as well as in the minds oflegislators and administrators. I believe that the approach of budgetary andlegislative support is vital to maintaining the focus and emphasis on this areaand the resulting engagement in and uptake of opportunities.”

VMcK “The volunteer spirit is entrenched in cities, rural communities, Statesacross the nation with Washington DC as the strategic think-tank and powerbase.”

VMcK “The evidence of good funding and philanthropy is a vital positive factoras individuals dedicatedly give money or services to pay-back as they have apride in their country, especially veterans and other seniors. Volunteering itseems is also a “healthy” activity for seniors.”

MD “The whole attitude to volunteering in USA is different to that in NorthernIreland. What surprised me most about the organisations we visited was thestrong assumption that volunteering was nearly an obligation – that youngerpeople would volunteer as part of building up their CVs, getting credit towardsqualifications or even building up entitlement to fee waivers. The most widelyheld view was that older people would be motivated to volunteer as a way ofgiving something back to the community, though this latter expectation wassomewhat modified by the fact that there was talk of stipends and reciprocityas a way of getting people involved. The Kennedy Serve America Act had afar- reaching impact on attitudes to volunteering but they were embeddedmore deeply through the whole American experience of building communitiesfrom scratch in harsh conditions were it was necessary for people to supportone another (I had experienced this in Australia too). People remarked toothat(President) Obama’s call to service had had a noticeable effect.”

DF “…. major events and programmes are put in place to capitalise on theopportunities arising from individuals ‘service’ value base. This concept is soingrained that it is embedded into the legislative framework at a federal level,with the ‘Kennedy Serve America Act 2009’.”


3.2 Overcoming Barriers

A key theme that emerged from all of the visits to groups and organisations inWashington is encapsulated in the American ‘can do’ attitude played on byPresident Obama in his election campaign. It is clear that the free economy andwelfare system have necessitated that the entrepreneurial business spirit evidentin the United States also exists in what we would know as the third sector. Theimpetus rests more heavily with individuals, organisations and communities toprovide local services that in the U.K and Ireland would traditionally be providedby the state.

While this is not the platform to critique the relative merits of the U.S and U.Kwelfare systems the, U.S system does appear to have resulted in less of aperception of red tape and bureaucracy as being a barrier to trying new initiativesthan in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to dependence on state funding.

3.3 Range of Opportunities

The scale of volunteer initiatives such as days of service and action days asfocus points to attract people to take part in volunteering even if only as a one offattracted comment…

DF “At a number of visits, I witnessed an emphasis on making things happen,rather than the barriers which prevent things from happening. In the example ofPartners in Care, their focus was on enabling ‘Neighbours helping Neighbours’.They clearly met the statutory and regulatory requirements, however their focuswas on how their vision could be enabled rather than on the barriers which theywere required to overcome - a subtle, but important difference in emphasis.”

CR “….they seemed to focus on large scale events and days of action, I’m notsure that these lead to long term commitment although they are useful as tastersfor people who would not normally volunteer.”

FJ “There is a diverse and challenging range of opportunities open to oldervolunteers e.g. Experience Corps”


3.4 Job Substitution and Expenses

On a number of the visits it was clear that roles performed by volunteers at timesoverlapped or differed only slightly from paid employees. However there do notappear to be the same cultural concerns about the implications of such asituation on paid employees and the strength of unions or employeesassociations as there are in Northern Ireland.

There also appeared to be clear differences in relation to payment of volunteerexpenses and the good practice model encouraged here that those whovolunteer should not be out of pocket as a result. It was clear that out of pocketexpenses as we would know them are not paid by many organisations. In someinstances people had to pay a registration fee to volunteer. There appeared tobe a culture that if you are helping those more needy than you then you shouldexpect to incur a financial as well as a time deficit. There was more flexibility asto how monetary allowances could be paid to those who volunteered. Stipends,tax breaks and educational credits were all methods that different organisationshad at their disposal to ‘encourage’ people to volunteer. It was argued by somethat these stipends, particularly for older people, made volunteering affordable asother out of pocket expenses were not paid.

1 Identity; idealism; Impact; Income

Indeed the make-up of the volunteering population in the U.S did suggest thatvolunteer involving organisations there have their own issues to address in termsof targeting under representation.

CR “ (there was) surprise at our questioning the idea of job substitution.”

DF “…..there is a significant blurring of boundaries between the role of paid staffand the role of volunteers. In one instance, volunteers were called ‘volunteeremployees’ and expected to work to the same standards as paid staff.”

BO “….I was also intrigued and perhaps concerned by the economic need forolder people to work or generate income. This was reflected in a number of thevisits and in particular the issue of paying stipends to older volunteers, although itwould seem that most organisations do not offer out of pocket expenses. Thelatter is also a surprise.”

DF “Many of the organisations we talked to highlighted that ‘stipends’ were usedto encourage participation in civic engagement/volunteering opportunities. Oneorganisation, Civic Ventures, saw it as an essential element of what they calledthe ‘4 I’s1’, which they believed to be essential elements of encouraging babyboomers into such opportunities.”


3.5 Policies and Procedures

As touched on in the section relating to Greater DC Cares, differing attitudesexisted in organisations in relation to policies and practices for volunteerinvolvement. These may vary or may be more uniform in other cities and states.

3.6 Baby Boomers

A great challenge to the Unlocking Potential Project and indeed the entire agesector in Northern Ireland exists around terminology, some people aged 50 and60 plus may not identify or may be offended by the word older and terms such asbaby boomer may not be widely understood or adopted.

In America the coining and acceptance of the term baby boomer for the post wargeneration as separate from the ‘great’ or ‘silent’ generation who preceded themdoes enable organisations to clearly communicate with all of their intendedaudience without fear of causing offence or confusion.

BM “One of the issues prominent to me during the visit was that policies inrelation to the recruitment of volunteers in Northern Ireland are in some instancesmuch more robust, and I would be interested to find out more about thechallenges of local volunteering groups in America regarding this issue.”

CR “The older volunteers that we met were not surprising at all, the surprise waswhen you saw a down to earth project in action it was just like back home.”

BM “….volunteering in Washington appears to have been well considered anddesigned to unlock the potential and skills of the “baby boomer” generation.”

DF “… the clear segmentation of older people into different sections is an ideawhich we in Northern Ireland can learn from. In many instances, our policies andstrategies targeting older people tend to view them as a homogenous group…..a more detailed vision of older people informs the development of policy andservices. The Silent generation through to Baby Boomers signifies the differentexperiences and aspirations of older people, each requiring differentapproaches.”

MD “There is a heavy emphasis on the oncoming ‘angry brigade’ as the ageingbaby boomers were described and the need to make provision that will satisfy agroup who have made their wishes known loudly throughout their lives and willcontinue to demand satisfying life experiences.”


4.0 Learning for organisations and individuals

One of the main aims of the study visit was to encourage participants to exploredifferent ways of doing things and step back and consider if any of the learningcould influence how they work as individuals and as organisations.

The quotes below give a good overview of participants initial impressions inrelation to this and have been segmented into different areas:-

4.1 (The need for more) Challenging Volunteer Roles for older people

BM “There also needs to be a focus on identifying appropriate roles andplacements, to meet the needs of the volunteer that will be motivational andstimulating rather than the more traditional roles such as befriending.”

CG “In particular, the work of Partners in Care, Greater DC Cares and theExperience Corps all demonstrated the innovative ways in which volunteers canbe embraced within a proactive framework of action to serve the needs of thecommunity.”

FJ “This links into the Civic Ventures theme of viewing the later stage of life asan opportunity for individual and social renewal. It is important to createvolunteering opportunities that do not patronise older people but give them anopportunity to make a real difference to their communities.”

FJ “It will encourage VSB to encourage organisations to provide morechallenging opportunities for older volunteers.”


4.2 Positive P.R to promote volunteering to older people…

As well as concentrating on volunteerism and civic engagement the visits to U.Sage sector organisations allowed the group to learn more about Americanattitudes to ageing and being older in U.S society and how the impact of theageing population and growth of the baby boomer generation is beingapproached.

Organisations like Civic Ventures are clearly trying to represent the positiveopportunities presented by the ageing population, from a local perspective thispositive ‘slant’ on ageing is one that has scope to be highlighted much more thanit has been in the past. Hopefully projects such as Unlocking Potential cancontinue to highlight the positive aspects of ageing and challenge the tendencyby some parties to treat older people as a homogeneous group who willultimately be a drain on society.

BO “To develop better marketing materials and to make use of positivelanguage and images.”

VMcK “We need greater awareness of the volunteer’s role for seniors. Whenthey receive the statutory, contributory retirement pension they should beencouraged to contact their local Volunteer Centre to register for volunteerwork. Whatever the future there is an essential need for advice, training,administration and the necessary funding to provide seniors with organisedhelp so that their “hands on” volunteering is not a burden in any away. Theyneed identification as a volunteer and introduced formally to the role. GoodP.R. (examples of past and current volunteering) can be used to attract seniorsto “do good”.

FJ “There are many organisations such as Civic Ventures promoting a positivemessage about the baby boomer generation and the contribution that it canmake to society. The idea of the second half of adult life as a time forindividual and social renewal.”

CR “I agree that the “younger” older people or the “silver tsunami” would notfind the traditional volunteering opportunities exciting. I think I would want todevelop quality/meaningful opportunities. Although I think this is not completelyspecific to older people.”

KMcC “There is a need to identify the gaps in delivery of services to olderpeople and to flag up any duplication allowing resources to be directed to otherprogrammes.”


4.3 Involvement in State Facilities (Schools, Hospitals)

It was clear that volunteers of all ages were actively volunteering in schools,hospitals, museums etc, this prompted comparison with the situation in NorthernIreland…

4.4 Joined up Working

BO “…state agencies such as schools/museums/councils need to be more opento receiving volunteers and we need to be more assertive in asking theseagencies and government why there aren’t opportunities for older people tovolunteer their time and expertise.Ask why certain government agencies are closed to older volunteers and indeedvolunteering.”

BM “The study visit has provided me with a focus to promote and support policyand strategy development in relation to older people volunteering.”

BO “.. (We must) plan how to be more effective on the political front incooperation with others in the age sector.”

CR “I would love to see the mentoring style project demonstrated by GreaterDC Cares implemented, however our problem is of course not having thecorporate backing and the big employers. But the idea is certainly relevant atthis time of economic downturn.”

VMcK “Volunteers abound in Northern Ireland but are not recognised as such.People volunteer in various roles for good and engaged reasons - churches,sport, education, sponsors, charities but there is a separateness ofmanagement….. We need a volunteer base which is shared or taken on boardby the majority of our community and which is known and recognised by all ---not just the willing few.”


4.5 Give control to Older People themselves

Some keys suggestions emerged from participants in relation to giving olderpeople choice and control over where their voluntary effort will have an impact.

The Unlocking Potential Project has been actively engaging with older people’sgroups to see if they would like to decide on a project or an organisation theywould like to support in a volunteering capacity, perhaps a short term project.

Groups, however, have been reluctant to identify a project themselves andfeedback suggests that they might take on a project if offered a few opportunitiesthat they can choose from.

BO “To support older people take control of the activities they want to beengaged in and perhaps offer “Whatever it is you want to do we will support youto make it happen” type of campaign.”

FJ “The theme of older people coming together to discuss what they would liketo do and the areas that they would like to volunteer is a positive model. It helpsto establish new networks of older people who can exchange ideas, developsocial opportunities and also volunteer as one positive spin-off.”

FJ “Older people coming together may volunteer to address social problemscollectively within their own communities rather than pick from a menu ofestablished volunteering opportunities.”


5.0 Older People Issues

Participants also commented on the political and policy context in relation toolder people and volunteering:-

BM. “…unlocking the potential of older people volunteering within healthcare…. should be imbedded in future policy development through partnershipworking to increase a consistency of approach to volunteering for this cohort.There also needs to be a focus on how to inspire and be innovative to recruitand empower people to become involved, and to offer support anddevelopment opportunities for older people.”

CG “At the business strategy level, the visit succeeded in engaging at a highlevel with those involved in policy formulation and delivery in the US in relationto older people and the benefits of volunteering. The discussions with bodiessuch as the Administration on Aging, the National Council on Aging and theAmerican Association of Retired People were particularly valuable in thisregard. The deliberations dealt with the statutory framework within whichvolunteering and the needs of older people were addressed and provided avery valuable insight into the development of policy thinking and new initiativesin these areas.”

KMcC “In response to legislation and policies for older people there is a needto stress cross-departmental approach and includes volunteering at everylevel… get government involved in promoting volunteering as it can have amassive impact on the way people behave.”

KMcC “To have the debate around stipends and rewards. The U.S hasconcentrated on younger people and education, what about older people asadditional income to a group who have the highest poverty levels in Europe.This might also encourage older people to volunteer, learn and stay active.”

DF “The review of ‘Ageing in an Inclusive Society’ by OFMDFM offers someopportunities to place some of these ideas within the context of governmentageing strategies. As part of age sector calls for the strategy to move awayfrom a welfare approach to ageing policy towards a more citizenship, positiveageing model, I believe that initiatives outlined above offer a template for us tomove ageing policy significantly forward in NI, through the adoption ofappropriate, empowering models of volunteering.”

DF “I believe that a number of the ideas/initiatives we saw have significantpotential for application in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, as we move forwardwith the review of ‘Ageing in an Inclusive Society’, I believe that the opportunityexists to influence the development of government policy and strategy andplace these ideas as part of the public policy framework. “


6.0 Conclusions

In terms of logistics and caliber of organisations visited in Washington feedbackfrom participants suggest that the study visit was successful.Participants made a few general comments on their impression of the visit:-

CG “the visit was a valuable opportunity for all the members to gain newinformation and fresh perspectives on the issues of volunteering and olderpeople and it has been of significant value in the work currently under way onthe Unlocking Potential Project. A lot of interesting ideas and practicalinitiatives were encountered and the discussion and debate has been helpful inaddressing some of the key issues within the project.”

FJ “This trip has underlined that there is a need for a wide range ofvolunteering opportunities for older people that not only tap into the existingskills but also give people an opportunity to pursue activities that they have nothad an opportunity to undertake before.”

MD “In summary we had a very interesting, stimulating and thought-provokingweek. We heard about many interesting activities. It would be fair to say thatmany of the initiatives we heard about have been tried out in Northern Ireland.It is the scale on which things are done and the context that is very different.The experience enables us to look at what we are doing from a differentperspective.”

BM “The visit provided me with an opportunity to observe aspects ofvolunteering in another country and to compare organisations and systems aswell as the exchange of opinions.”

KMcC “The experience of the visit was extremely positive and thoughtprovoking because as a member of a team it gave an overview of NationalGovernment’s policies for older people and volunteering; Local communityprogrammes for older people through volunteering; The national responseencouraging older people to volunteer and changing national culture of olderpeople.”


7.0 Participant Suggestions

Participants were asked to indicate what concrete outcomes or actions theywould like to see emerge as a result of the visit. A number of suggestions weremade such as:-

Meetings and discussions amongst the group, with the Ni Bureau and hostorganisations suggest support for an international conference hosted in NorthernIreland that would present a platform to give new life to the debate on ageing andthe needs and expectations of the baby boomer generation on becoming older.Volunteerism and civic engagement in general is a theme that relates to so manyaspects of healthy and happy ageing and if a conference were able to recreatethe interest and debate that was generated by the study visit amongst itsparticipants then it could only be a positive thing. With the right focus andspeakers it would hopefully encourage a wide variety of participants, such asprivate and public sector employers as well as the wider voluntary andcommunity sector, health professionals and government to see it as relevant tothe work they do and the decisions they make when planning for the future.

A conference of this scale would require additional financial and practical supportfrom other parties. Discussions are already underway with the Ni Bureau to

BO “Challenge government to open up more statutory organisations to thepossibility of involving older volunteers. Increase the communication with theOlder Persons Advocate to ensure that volunteering is on the agenda.”

BO “Produce more positive images. Take the risk to do something different tocreate awareness and challenge to older people to get involved. Developperhaps a social action day for older people.”

BO “Plan an international symposium on the active involvement of older peopleand how it relates and contributes to wellbeing, health, inclusion and equality.”

BO “Look at how we might design a volunteer action day for older people.”

FJ “…a volunteering service day could also be adapted for older people tocreate an annual older persons volunteering challenge across Northern Ireland.….this may encourage many older people to take their first step intovolunteering. This would also be undertaken in a group setting with their peergroup without feeling pressure to commit to more than this.”

KMcC “We need to have government call to volunteering – call to service notas an add-on but a substantial part of our lives and development.”


explore if shared focus exists to support such an event. Other possible avenuesfor support include government departments and consideration is being given toapproaching these.


8.0 Project Outcomes

The study enabled the Unlocking Potential project team to compare piloted andplanned initiatives with those that have been successful in the U.S. On one levelthe visit acted to endorse the plans of action set in place for the project for thenext couple of years. The success of the calendar of one off volunteering actiondays delivered by Greater DC Cares, whilst mainly involving young people didsuggest that the plans in place to develop of one off action days for the targetgroup is an avenue to be pursued. These may either be employee supported forthose people approaching retirement age or opened up to the public. GreaterDC Cares also cited success with skilled volunteering and group volunteering,both of which are initiatives that the project aims to pilot this year.

It became apparent during the week in Washington that many of the samechallenges faced here in terms of encouraging older people to volunteer alsoexist in the U.S. As in Northern Ireland volunteer figures in the U.S remain staticand volunteers are more likely to come from white middle class backgrounds.One of the key aims of this study visit was to investigate innovative ways toaddress these issues. Time Banking (illustrated by Partners in Care) whilst notvolunteering in its purest sense does offer a model of empowerment for olderpeople and provide a vehicle to move potentially isolated older people onto acontinuum of social engagement which you could argue would increase theirpropensity to volunteer in a more formal fashion in the long run.

The success of Experience Corps in drawing out older people to make a realdifference to their local neighborhoods by volunteering does suggest that thisvery localised focus is an approach that we need to explore more and pilot inareas where older people who have been less likely to come forward andvolunteer with larger volunteer involving organisations, they may be mobilised bya very local need where they can make a real difference.

The work of Civic Ventures in acting as a P.R machine for a generation endorsedthe positive images used in the One Good Reason marketing campaign, indeedthey were well received in America by those people who were shown them. It didhowever raise questions about pigeonholing people with terms such as older and60+, in many ways the images speak for themselves and there may be merit inrelooking at the use of such terms at all in the language used in marketing.Without the adoption of the generic term baby boomer or something similar inNorthern Ireland there is always a real risk of offending or alienating those peoplewho are our target audience.

The central endorsement of volunteering by government in action as well aswords by the U.S Government clearly gave profile and credibility to the work ofvolunteer involving organisations. This is an area that the project can provideevidence to lobby government and assist organisations such as Age SectorPlatform and Age NI in their efforts to guarantee an environment that will enable


a healthy and happy aging population in Northern Ireland. Hopefully aninternational conference drawing on these themes will help to give profile tothese issues at government and societal level.

The Volunteer Development Agency and the Unlocking Potential Projectcontinues to lobby for recognition and promotion of volunteering good practiceand policy that will encourage volunteering amongst people from older agegroups. The project is represented on the steering working group led by theOlder People’s Advocate to help shape the revision of the strategy document,‘Ageing in an Inclusive Society’.

9.0 Acknowledgements

Finally on behalf of the Volunteer Development Agency and the study visitparticipants I would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to a numberof parties who made the study visit a success. The Atlantic Philanthropies forproviding funding to make this exciting opportunity a reality, the Northern IrelandBureau in Washington, particularly Director Norman Houston and TonySilberfeld, for their support in the lead up, liaising with local organisations andwhilst in Washington for hosting a briefing and a reception for the party andguests from host organisations. Whilst in Washington the group wasaccompanied Ms Sydney Prince, a local events planner, who also coordinatedmuch of the itinerary with host organisations and made sure the partyexperienced a real taste of life in Washington. Much of this assistance wasgiven on a voluntary basis and for this a sincere thank you is due.

A thank you is offered to the organisations that hosted visits throughout the trip.At all times our hosts were generous with their time and without exception werewilling to share information and experiences with the group. This hospitality andcandidness of exchange ensured the success of the visit.

Finally a thank you to Ciaran Rice, Unlocking Potential Administrative Officer,who efficiently ensured that flights, accommodation, insurance, and visas etcwere organised for the party.


10.0 Participants

The study visit party was made up of:-Clive Gowdy - Former Permanent Secretary DHSSPS (Chair of Unlocking

Potential Advisory Group)Bill Osborne - Director, VSBFrank Johnston - Older People’s Services Manager, VSBVictor McKelvey - Board member, NWVCHarry Armstrong - Voluntary and Community Unit (DSD)Duane Farrell - Director of Policy from Age Concern Help the Aged NIBernie Mitchell - Volunteer manager Belfast Hospitals TrustColette Ruddy - Newry and Mourne Volunteer Centre ManagerMary Dynan - Chairperson of University of the Third Age in Northern

IrelandKate McCullough - Policy Officer, Office of the NI Older People’s AdvocateChristine Irvine - Policy and Information Officer, Volunteer Development

AgencyBilly Eagleson - Unlocking Potential Project Manager, Volunteer

Development Agency

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