So much for being on the sidelines and retired - up to 65-year-olds are strong in voluntary work
So much for being on the sidelines and retired - up to 65-year-olds are strong in volunteer work
When the children are out of the house or work stops, many people initially fall into a hole. What they have identified themselves with until then suddenly leaves a certain emptiness. But anyone who believes that this is why many people fall into a kind of mid-life crisis and become isolated is very much mistaken about today's more experienced specimens of Homo Sapiens. Volunteering holds society together and people between 45 and 65 are particularly committed. But there is still room for improvement.
Self-realisation with meaning
The mantra of the old-68s was sometimes self-realisation and self-determination. And the list of wishes to finally do something for oneself after the children have left home or after retirement age is long. It feels good to simply take care of oneself for a change. And yet something is missing. A task, social contacts, standing up for something, implementing projects, taking care of others, sharing one's own experiences and simply being part of a larger whole, being part of a movement, being able to help, making an impact in the world, making a difference ...
The best time to give something back to the world
This is the hour when we can finally give something back to the world. The hour of volunteering. No matter where people live, in the city or in the country, there are many different ways to volunteer. In Germany, the willingness to work for the good of others is high. A high percentage of people engage in voluntary work (40 percent). Often, however, there is not enough time at a young age to get decisively involved because, for example, career development and family life with children do not leave much time. This is one of the reasons why the involvement of 45 to 65 year-olds is the greatest. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 20 percent of them hold an office in an initiative, club or association.
Why should I volunteer?
A strong motivation for taking up a voluntary activity is the deeper meaning behind the occupation. Especially in senior citizen work, win-win situations occur that are immediately noticeable. Older people fill a gap that can arise in retirement, are closer in age to the world and the needs of seniors, and often already have experience in care. Volunteers in the care sector can learn a lot from the seniors, who soon let them share their wealth of experience, get to hear interesting life stories and much wisdom about life. But that's not all: in addition to the meaningful activity and conversations in the care sector, for example, it simply feels good to do voluntary work. It is a good feeling to replace the eyes of a blind person and read to him or her, or to let a wheelchair user participate in nature in the park. Selfless service is part of all religions because it promotes a feeling of unity of the individual with society or a group instead of separation and hatred.
Which honorary office should I choose?
Those who are not yet sure what the right field of activity for a voluntary commitment might be should first ask themselves what they enjoy or what they are particularly good at. It's a bit like when choosing a career. Self-exploration plays a big role there, too. After all, the work should be fun and correspond to one's own strengths. It's the same with choosing the right voluntary work. If you know what you can do and which activities give you pleasure, voluntary work is not a burden but a pleasure - combined with a good feeling of contributing to society. No activity is inferior, because for the perfect running of a church congregation, for example, it is just as important to take over the leadership of the lay body as it is to ensure cleanliness or to create the decorations for festivities.
Helping where it is really needed
If you want to be sure that you can make the best use of your skills, you should contact the municipal administration as well as volunteer exchanges, if there is such a thing locally. Some districts have set up a so-called volunteer meeting point where you can find out what is needed and where help is sought everywhere. Charitable institutions, NGOs, the German Red Cross (DRK), political parties, animal protection and nature conservation associations, social organisations, sports clubs and educational institutions are also good places to ask for volunteers. The best thing to do is to ask them what they are looking for. If you phone around a bit, you will get into conversation and even if you don't find anything at the first place, you should simply try somewhere else. It may be that you have to search a little, maybe ask around in your own circle of friends, then you will find many possibilities.
An interesting approach to researching the right voluntary work is also offered by a look at a statista survey from 2018 on the topic of what Germans see as the most pressing problems (https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/2739/umfrage/ansicht-zu-den-wichtigsten-problemen-deutschlands/) . The leading issue is immigration. There could be a high demand for volunteer work here, because the integration of refugees can require all kinds of help, from language courses to courses in social studies and the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany to the organisation of meeting afternoons, for example in multi-generation houses or even at local festivals. Health and social security are also a topic, as is the education system. There are no limits to creativity in brainstorming. If exciting fields of activity crystallise out, be it in a retirement home or at the Landesbund für Vogelschutz, you can knock on their door. Most of the time, the organisations and institutions are very open to voluntary work.
Don't complain, but tackle
Without voluntary work it would be pretty cold in the Federal Republic of Germany. In the countryside in particular, clubs such as sports clubs or volunteer fire brigades are, in addition to their actual tasks, the social cement for people, the only meeting place for exchange. But even in the anonymity of the big cities, clubs, associations and other organisations are important for exchange and against the threat of loneliness, especially in old age.
Volunteering is one aspect of active ageing
Volunteering also plays an important role in the aspect of active ageing. Life experience has shown many older people where there are problems in society, where things are not running smoothly, where there may be hardship and nothing is being done by the state to change this. Volunteers do not want to complain about the care crisis or the lack of compatibility between family and work, they become active and alleviate the problems a little within the scope of their possibilities. They offer concrete help, for example, by volunteering at a food bank or as a surrogate daddy for the child of a single parent, as a gardener for an elderly senior citizen or as a dog walker at an animal shelter, as a reader for a blind person in an old people's home or as a driver for a facility for the disabled - these are just a few examples of people who want to do something instead of complaining - definitely the more fulfilling way, unless you are a lobbyist for disadvantaged population groups or defenceless animals. If such influential people call for improvements in the right place and stick to it, they can achieve a lot more than, say, voluntarily washing the dishes after the primary school summer party where he lives.
It is rarely too early and never too late
Before you fall into a hole and ask yourself the question of meaning after your now grown-up children have moved out or when you reach retirement age, you should consider how you could get involved in society. Volunteering can mitigate such drastic experiences in life and at the same time gives you the chance to give something back to society - ideally based on your own skills and knowledge. It may be necessary to undergo special training for one or the other volunteer position. But you shouldn't let that scare you off. If you really want to help, you have to know how to do it. For example, in the volunteer fire brigade in the village, but also in transporting disabled children from A to B or as a telephone counsellor. As with many things in life, however, the following also and especially applies to voluntary work: it is rarely too early and never too late.
