The meeting closing the 3rdedition of the “TAU for Communities” initiative was held in Warsaw on October 15. Teams representing 10 Third Age Universities met to sum up their dozen-month work, including creating volunteer and civic activity groups as well as to discuss with others their activities and success stories.
During the latest edition of the “TAU for Communities” project team representatives of TAUs from Giżycko, Starogard Gdański, Łódż, Żary, Ryki, Międzychód, Szklarska Poręba, Wodzisław Śląski, Przemyśl and Łańcut worked on establishing new volunteer and civic activity groups within the Third Age Universities structures or strengthening those already existing. The project participants diagnosed their local community needs which TAU volunteers could help to meet and carried out first activities.
The meeting in Warsaw was an opportunity to present the results of their work over the last year. The volunteers from Łódź organized a puppet show with participation of seniors and children from “Bednarska” Inter-Generational Center, the volunteers from Szklarska Poręba organized a series of meetings open for local residents of all ages who wanted to play logic games, and the team of volunteers from Wodzisław Śląski had meetings with children at a day center where they were cooking together and writing a cookery book. The group from Ryki worked on decoration of a town park where they afterwards had an inter-generational picnic. Volunteers of TAU from Starogard Gdański made a flower and herbs garden around the cultural center and then opened it to the residents as the place for entertainment and leisure-time activities, while seniors-volunteers from Łańcut helped TAU students in need and visited residents of nursing homes in Łańcut and the surrounding villages. The team from Giżycko helped the residents to integrate during sports activities and among other things organized the summer Bocci Bush League. In Żary the volunteers and their partners prepared a huge picnic with many attractions for the local community members. The group of volunteers from Międzychód raised money for the needy and visited seniors residing in nursing homes as well as children at preschools and TPD (Friends of Children Society) centers. The group from Przemyśl was spending time on creative activities with children from foster families. These are just a few examples of activities initiated by the TAU volunteers for their local communities.
At the end of presentations summing up the implemented initiatives the TAU volunteers received commemorative diplomas and congratulations from PAFF and the Association for Creative Initiatives „ę” representatives.
In November, the 4th edition of the “TAU for Communities” project will be launched. It will be participated by Third Age Universities from Bydgoszcz, Chrzanów, Jędrzejów, Morąg, Puławy, Rewal, Rzeszów, Tarnów, Włodawa and Wrocław.
The “TAU for Communities” project has been managed by the Association for Creative Initiatives „ę” as part of the PAFF program since 2013 and its objective is giving substantive support to those TAUs which want to carry out work for the benefit of their local communities, especially as volunteers. In each editon of the project 10 TAUs participate.
More information can be found at: http://utw.seniorzywakcji.pl/
