EngAGE Issue 1 - May / June 2010

Age & Opportunity's e-Newsletter

In this issue of EngAGE…

• EngAGE eNewsletter keeps it brief
• Bealtaine’s big dreams
• Survey finds quality in Irish physical activity
• Bealtaine festival independently evaluated
• Stories from our programmes... Ageing with Confidence

1. EngAGE eNewsletter keeps it brief

Having researched good practice and asked a number of people about what they wanted from an eNewsletter, the message came back loud and clear:

• Keep it brief
• Keep it relevant
• Keep it interesting

EngAGE, the eNewsletter from Age & Opportunity, promises the following: each issue will only have a handful of brief news items and will appear every two months; all stories will be of interest to those who believe in increasing the participation of older people in Irish society; and each issue will have real-life stories from people who are involved with our different programmes. We also promise to listen to your feedback on how we can improve it.

2. Bealtaine’s big dreams

This year’s Bealtaine festival, celebrating creativity in older age, is shaping up to be another exciting month throughout the country. It’s very positive to see a number of organisations taking part in the festival this year for the first time. Our theme is ‘Have dreams and speak them without fear’ from ‘What Do Men Want?’ by the US poet Anthony S. Abbott.
The ‘Blow the Dust…’ orchestra and Macushla Dance Club have already kicked off festivities with an concert in Dublin’s Heuston Station. Major projects for this year include: ‘Blow the Dust off Your Trumpet’ in Dublin and Cork; ‘Dawn Chorus’ at waterfronts all over the country; ‘In Stitches’, a craft project with Oxfam Ireland; ‘Ink’, a photographic project about tattoos; ‘Project Brand New Generation’, encouraging intergenerational theatre work.
[Check the Bealtaine website www.bealtaine.com or become a fan of Bealtaine on Facebook for regular updates.]

3. Survey finds quality in Irish physical activity

The quality of participation in physical activity among older people in Ireland is improving. While numbers taking part in sport or physical activity have held constant during the last two years, those who do take part are enjoying better health-giving activities. So says a recent follow-up survey of over 1,000 older Irish people, commissioned by The Irish Sports Council and our Go for Life programme. Participation rates are sticking at around 40%. The numbers of 'highly active' older people, however, have gone up to 19% with a noticeable improvement among less well-off socio-economic groups. Walking and swimming still play a big part in people's activities.
[Read more about the survey, who's getting active and what is motivating them, from here - PDF download.]

4. Independent evaluation of the Bealtaine festival

Anecdotal evidence over the years suggests that our Bealtaine festival, celebrating creativity in older age, has a profound effect on people’s lives. Now, an independent evaluation has found that Bealtaine is having a significant effect, both on the lives of older participants and on the arts community. The evaluation, conducted by the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology in the National University of Ireland, Galway, found that Bealtaine improves well-being, psychological outlook and morale. It enriches ageing though social relationships and connectedness. It enhances self-confidence and self-esteem. It also builds new arts audiences, changes attitudes to the arts and draws in both funding and in-kind support that would not be otherwise available to arts activity. This is great news for Bealtaine’s main supporter, the Arts Council, and for the hundreds of arts organisations, groups, clubs, care centres and individuals who partner Age & Opportunity in the festival.
[The full Bealtaine report is available from here.]

5. Stories from our programmes...

Geraldine Smyth, facilitator, on the Ageing with Confidence programme
Ageing with Confidence, Age & Opportunity’s self-development course aimed at older people, runs in nine counties. To deliver the course, local development organisations find trained facilitators in their area and Age & Opportunity provides these facilitators with the skills they need to run the course and to help them to work effectively with older groups.
Geraldine Smyth is a trained facilitator who has recently completed the Ageing with Confidence training on behalf of Tolka Area Partnership. What change did she find the course made to her facilitation skills? “I needed a re-awakening of my own facilitation skills. I did use them sometimes to facilitate but, more often, I used them in training. [On the Ageing with Confidence training,] I was part of a group and yet I would be facilitating… so you weren’t outside of the group; you were part of the group.” And will you be able to take part in the same way when you deliver the course? “Even if I’m working with a group of people I don’t know, we set up the programme and we bond together. I, then, become part of the group; not an outsider facilitating but an insider facilitating.”
[Read more about Ageing with Confidence here.]

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Age & Opportunity is the national not-for-profit organisation that promotes opportunities for greater participation by older people in society through partnerships and collaborative programmes.

Age & Opportunity
Marino Institute of Education
Griffith Avenue
Dublin 9
Tel. +353 (0)1 805 7709
Fax +353 (0)1 853 5117
Email info@ageandopportunity.ie
Web www.ageandopportunity.ie  

Age & Opportunity’s national programmes include:

• Agewise: Workshops to raise awareness of ageism among policy-makers and services providers whose work affects the lives of older people
• Bealtaine: The national festival celebrating creativity in older age
• Ageing with Confidence: Helping people to explore their own ageing in a positive way to maintain health and well-being
• Creative Exchanges: Using the arts to transform the experience of residents and staff in care centres for older people
• Go for Life: Promoting greater participation by older people in sport and physical activity
• Get Vocal: Strengthening the voices of older people in Irish society