CONsider your skills for VOLUnTeering

The background of the CONVOLUT-project is the demographic change and the associated health consequences for the individual and the socio-economic challenges for society. Because of the so-called baby boomers, the number of people retiring will increase most in the period up to 2035 (European Commission 2012: 3), which is why it made sense to make the skills of these people available to society and to improve their own lives. There were also not enough opportunities and infrastructures for counselling that brings together individual competences identification and suitability for volunteering. CONVOLUT aimed to create target-oriented counselling materials, such as the specific adapted ProfilPASS in Preparation for Retirement, to initiate self-reflection regarding the competences and knowledge of people at the beginning of their retirement and to make them aware of their own potential. In a second step, they received orientation and support in choosing a voluntary activity that is suitable for them and their competences. By motivating people to take up voluntary work, the project supported the EU's Active Ageing policy by helping people of retirement age to lead active and self-determined lives and contribute to society.

The project was focused on people at the beginning of their retirement. They received clearer options for organizing their free time in a meaningful way. At the same time, these people were able to consider volunteering as an option for shaping their retirement in a purposeful way. The same group of people became aware of their competences and learned how their competences fit with options to engage in volunteering. Finally, they found counsellors at the beginning of retirement to guide them in the process of identifying competences and deciding on volunteering. These counsellors were the second target group of the project. The counsellors were qualified for the tasks of competence assessment and counselling on voluntary services and were be able to use appropriate tools. These tools were developed and tested during the project implementation. Organisations that coordinate voluntary work were networked with senior citizens' organisations and educational institutions. These two target groups had a benefit from the project.

The CONVOLUT-project consortium of six organisations from the EU countries Austria, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, coordinated by the DIE, worked on the tasks in 12 work packages. The partnership built on previous cooperations in other EU projects. Roughly spoken, the project work was sequenced as (1) research phase, (2) product development phase, (3) phase for training of (new) counsellors, (4) a testing period with the target group people at the beginning of retirement, and (5) dissemination and evaluation work. Based on a needs analysis, all planned project results were developed which helped counsellors to address the needs of the target group of people at the beginning of retirement. For the purpose of dissemination, CONVOLUT constituted a network of qualified counsellors, voluntary and senior organisations (often as associated partners) and adult education centres.

The CONVOLUT-project aimed at producing project outputs and other results for people at the beginning of retirement and for counsellors and other relevant stakeholders working with this target group. The first project result was the transnational Comprehensive Report of Identification of Needs. This needs analysis was the starting point and groundwork for the development of the planned project results. The central result was the adapted ProfilPASS in Preparation for Retirement for the target grout people at the beginning of retirement and seniors. The genuine ProfilPASS for Adults helps to identify a person's personal strengths and potentials. CONVOLUT developed the specific version with a clear orientation of the competence assessment towards the commencement of voluntary work, which is specially tailored to work with people at the beginning of retirement. Then, the CONVOLUT-Toolkit with guidelines, guidebooks and other materials was systematically compiled to facilitate, support, and professionalize counsellors working with the target group. Furthermore, suitable methods for competence assessment and volunteering from all partner countries were systematically compiled and included in this Toolkit. In addition, a Manual for Counsellors was developed containing essential background information as well as guidelines and suggestions on how the new ProfilPASS and the Toolkit could be applied best. Besides the Manual, the The CONVOLUT-Training Curriculum was developed which serves as a guideline for training of counsellors. 60 counsellors twice as much then planned in the project proposal in 6 countries received training based on the CONVOLUT-Training Curriculum and enriched thus their repertoire of counselling methods in working with people at the beginning of retirement. After the training, the counsellors tested the adapted ProfilPASS with a total of 143 people at the beginning of retirement (23 persons more then planned in the project application) in their own country and thus helped in placing these people in suitable voluntary positions. All project results are available in English and all other partner languages (German, Greek, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish) as OER materials (CC BY SA) on the project web page https://convolut.profilpass-international.eu/. Apart from these results, the project used different dissemination and valorization activities such as multiplier events, an international conference, and publications on platforms like EPALE and other national and international platforms. These activities were reinforced by the partners’ strong national and international networks that was for the dissemination. This strategy and the existing networks ensured that relevant stakeholders such as employers, training organizations and other organizations working with the target group heard about the project results and use them after the completion of the project and thus ensure sustainability.