Senior Participant Orientation

Once you have identified the facility or organization that you hope to draw volunteers from, it is crucial to the success of the project that a combined recruitment/orientation session be held. The purpose of this meeting will be to explain the project and its expectations, and encourage the older adults to volunteer to participate.

• Explain the need for volunteers.
  • It is essential for children to develop positive attitudes toward older people and aging. Frequent interaction with older people can help children understand the different roles we accept as we age and grow.
    
    
  • Senior role models can help students become greater contributors to their communities. Children can become more responsible citizens through programs designed to demonstrate the value of older persons. Writing and speaking skills can be improved through contact and correspondence with older adults.
    
    
  • In our mobile society, frequent contact between generations may be difficult or impossible. Older and younger generations become separated when families relocate for jobs. Older family members may retire and move to another region. Many young people are deprived of contact with older generations and do not benefit from the experiences their elders might share with them.
  
  
• State the educational goals and objectives of the project. If your project does not have clear educational goals, participants are less likely to understand what is expected of them. If the program is not perceived as being purposeful, seniors may question playing a role in the project. Clearly state what your objectives for student learning are. For example:
  
       Students will:
• Understand the relativity of the terms "young" and "old."
• Recognize the unique individuality and diversity of people of all ages.
• Become aware of their attitudes toward aging and older people.
• Learn more about the aging process and the physical changes that occur as people grow older.
• Understand how living with physical and sensory changes affects older people.
• Learn what is true and what is not true about aging and older people.
• Appreciate the roles of older people.
• Perceive long life as an opportunity for continuous growth and development, not as a late life process of decline.
• Develop linkages across generations within communities.  
  
  
• Give examples of ways the seniors themselves may benefit from participation. What could motivate your audience to volunteer for your program? For example, they might be motivated because volunteering will give them an opportunity to:
  
  
  • Share their experiences, interests, and knowledge.
  • Learn more about young people.
  • Learn more about the school system supported by their community and its educational processes.
  • Increase their sense of being connected to the community.
  • Address an important community issue. (How will our children deal with the challenges posed by the aging of their communities' populations?)
  • Leave a legacy for the younger generation.
    
    
• Use visuals in your presentation. A picture can indeed be worth a thousand words. Especially if that picture captures images of adorable children! Bring along a slide show or video of your students during a typical school day to "introduce" them to the seniors you are presenting to.
  
  
• Give a clear outline of the projects, activities and timeline. It is important that the older adults have a clear view of what is required of them. Alleviate fear of the unknown by explaining the specifics of the project to the audience. Examples are:
  
  
  • The length and frequency of participant commitment.
  • The physical demands of your project.
  • Travel requirements.
  • Any time expectations outside of the actual time spent with the students. For example, is e-mail or written correspondence required from participants?
  • Provide written materials outlining scheduled meetings along with specific activities or theme for each meeting.
    
    
• Present guidelines for working with students. Older adults may be concerned about interacting with youngsters and have questions about what to expect from the students. Remove some of these mental barriers by discussing:
  
  
  • Typical characteristics and abilities of the students based on age level. Examples at a first grade level might include:
    1. They are very inquisitive and not afraid to ask or say anything!
    2. Please do not answer any questions that you find uncomfortable.
    3. First graders are also eager and full of energy.
    4. They may need a little help filling out the interview sheet. We encourage them to spell anything they can, even if the spelling is not exactly right, but they may get bogged down on unfamiliar words.
    5. Most of all, first graders are lots of fun to be with. We hope you enjoy their company.
       
       
  • The volunteer's responsibilities regarding behavior and discipline. Stress that discipline problems are not anticipated, but if a student exhibits unacceptable behavior the volunteer is not responsible for rectifying the situation. Assure the audience that teachers and other school personnel will always be available to handle any situation that arises with a student.
    
    
    
• Provide a sign-up form for interested individuals including space for name, telephone number, mailing address, and/or e-mail address. If the forms are not to be collected that day, be sure to include clearly marked information regarding the method of return along with a date that they must be returned by.
  
  
• Provide a contact information sheet including the phone, address, e-mail, etc. for the school personnel conducting the project for future reference.
  
  
• Allow time following your presentation to interact informally with the audience. The availability of refreshments encourages participants to stay and talk. Be prepared to mingle and answer one-on-one questions the audience may have.

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