At Volunteering Matters, we are dedicated to building stronger communities through the power of volunteering. By actively engaging with communities to understand their unique needs and collaborating with policymakers to drive meaningful improvements, we harness the potential of volunteers to create positive change. This policy focuses on enabling older people to share their time and experience, addressing local issues, and helping others, thereby fostering a more connected and resilient community.
Summary: We advocate for a community-led approach to enable older adults to volunteer, sharing their skills and experience to address local issues and help others.
Reason Why: Volunteering allows older adults to impart their skills, support others, foster community connections, and enhance their own well-being.
Funding should be made available to support and enable older adults to take on leadership roles in the community. Building and maintaining connections. Funding means we can recruit volunteers, provide insurance and support processes and foster links with other local partners and national infrastructure.
Facilitate partnerships with local authorities and organisations to create age-friendly community projects based on local need.
Research shows that if older people continue to contribute using their skills and experience that their mental health improves, their physical health improves and community spirit improves.
We retain and cascade valuable learning and skills within communities that are based on experience, reducing us making the same mistakes whilst also ensuring that solutions meet all people’s needs (older people who may be excluded from digital developments etc).
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP) is a programme within Volunteering Matters that provides opportunities for people aged 50 and over to use their energy, enthusiasm and experience to improve the health and wellbeing of others, reduce social isolation and alleviate disadvantage in their communities.
