Growing Older Together

Growing Older Together is a development program of NOV (Association of Dutch Volunteer Organizations) in which sharing knowledge and developing knowledge is fundamental. Elderly people are the source of Growing Older Together. To improve health and wellbeing, it is also important to draw attention to the social, emotional, and meaningful sides of life. Being active voluntarily is meaningful and gives meaning. Elderly people who are connected to a network or community in their daily living environment are less dependent on care.

To organize more age-friendly communities and different forms of peer-to-peer support, at a local level, more cooperation is needed. We want to positively influence the image of the elderly and ageing. We want the voice of the elderly to be heard. We connect generations to maintain solidarity and create more understanding. We want a society in which the perspectives and interests of different generations are considered and weighed in policy choices.

Articles, publications, and tools

Here you'll find some translated articles, publications and tools gathered from the Growing Older Together program:

An article by Laurine Blonk, researcher at the University of Humanistic Studies, about the impact of voluntary work on the life of the elderly: Existential vulnerability and resilience in voluntary work with older people.
Publication The social fabric of voluntary and community initiatives.
This publication considers the role that voluntary and community initiatives can play in pressing societal issues. How do they contribute to such a social fabric?
Video portraits (3 items) of elderly people who talk about the impact of growing older and how they organize this new phase of life.