Changing Gears

Home » Engage » Changing Gears

Do you want to discover more about yourself and your capacity to meet different challenges? Take stock of your skills and experiences and plan your next steps in life?

What is Changing Gears?

Changing Gears is a course that supports people in dealing with transitions or significant life-challenges in mid to later life. It focuses on how we can build resilience, take stock, make changes, and bounce forward in life.

How does it work?

Changing Gears in-person delivery comprises two-hour sessions delivered weekly over five weeks; our online delivery comprises two-hour sessions delivered over four weeks.

Changing Gears offers participants time to:
• Develop skills and techniques to build resilience and confidence in managing life-changes or transitions.
• Reframe transitions in their lives as opportunities with positive options, challenging negative stereotypes about ageing.

The programme invites participants to reflect on challenges they have experienced in the past and life-lessons they have learned. In this way strategies for building resilience and managing change draw on personal experience to lay the foundations for a more positive and fulfilling future.

Session 1 & 2: Life Transitions (Up to Now)
Session 3 & 4: Building Resilience (Here and Now)
Session 5: Mapping the future (Where to from Here)

“I found Changing Gears very useful. It was very useful to look back at what has served me well and to make a plan, as far as is possible, for the next part of my life.”

Kathleen Jordan, Dublin. Changing Gears participant, online, February 2023

“The course content from beginning to end was very relevant. The different aspects of the course were so gently put. We came away totally satisfied at having participated and we gained so much information on what’s out there for us both nationally and locally.”

Kay Murphy, Ennis, Co Clare. Changing Gears participant, in-person, March 2023

How can I get involved?

We run Changing Gears courses nationwide. If you are interested, please enquire with us as to whether there is a course taking place near you. We also deliver it to groups. So if your organisation/group is interested, please contact us.

The course can be adapted for participants with intellectual disability (ID).

Contact

For information contact Fiona in our Engage Team via e-mail engage@ageandopportunity.ie or call 01 805 7798
01 805 7798
engage@ageandopportunity.ie

Engage Initiatives:

Changing Gears

A five week course for people in mid-career or anticipating retirement. Changing Gears is about building resilience, taking stock, making changes, bouncing back and moving on in life. Find out more here.

AgeWise Workshops

Professionally facilitated workshops that raise awareness of positive ageing. Suitable for older persons’ groups; community, parish or library groups; and organisations and employers. Find out more here.

Ageing with Confidence

A five week course of two-hour sessions run weekly. Ageing with Confidence is for older people in local communities who wish to increase confidence, encourage reflection and share experiences. Find out more here.

Get Engaged

A training course for people aged 50+ that is designed to help make a difference within local organisations. It includes skills training on lobbying, research and working with the media and consists of two-hour sessions run weekly over four to six weeks. Find out more here.

Azure

Azure explores how people with dementia-related conditions and the people who care for them can have a deeper involvement in cultural institutions and can participate in cultural activities. Find out more here.

Spirituality

Our five week, online Spirituality course invites participants to explore spirituality from the perspective of their life experience using art, music, poetry and story. Find out more here.

Bespoke Training

Bespoke training, advice and mentoring in the areas of arts, physical activity, active citizenship and lifelong learning. We can adapt and tailor one or more of our existing initiatives to suit your group or organisation’s needs. Find out more here.