On 1 October we celebrate international day of older people, providing an opportunity to promote respect, dignity and inclusion for older people while raising awareness of the importance of policies that support their well-being and quality of life.
Volunteering can be a meaningful opportunity for people of any age, but especially for those later in life. Researchers found that the more people volunteer, the more their life satisfaction increases.
In Slovenia school year starts in the beginning of September. Every year, in the first two weeks, around 100 volunteers are working in the vicinity of 38 primary schools in Ljubljana to ensure that schoolchildren get to and from school safely.
Most of the volunteers are retired people, many of them used to work as bus drivers and mechanics from the Ljubljana Public transport or Post Office. There are also representatives of the local Red Cross and the local associations of pensioners. Their job is to help children cross safely at pedestrian crossings. They stop vehicles with a special stop sign. These volunteers also have special authorisation to report a driver who is breaking the rules.
“The situation has improved significantly, with 50 children involved in road accidents in the city last year, compared to 85 the year before, and above all no deaths,” says 87-year-old volunteer, coordinator of volunteers. “Sometimes the presence of a volunteer in a yellow vest is enough to make schoolchildren, parents and drivers more cautious”.
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https://old.delo.si/novice/ljubljana/varna-pot-v-solo-s-prijaznostjo-dobis-tudi-dober-odziv.html