This page is directed to potential student volunteers exploring opportunities for community service to fulfill the requirements of their Civics claases for at least 5 hours of service.

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Arbor West Neighbors - AWN -  a non-profit organization in Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park building a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-generational community where all older adults are valued, age with dignity, and enjoy opportunities for growth and engagement.

 

Members participate in a variety of activities: events such as member meetups, programs on a wide variety of topics of relevance to older adults, interest groups and many advocacy efforts with local and wider impact.

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When you decide to work with us, we will ensure you have a meaningful experience, including

         Supervision by one of our members

         Clarity of expectations for a specific task

         Feedback during and after your assignment

         Any further assistance you might wish to prepare for your class presentation, posting a note about your experience, providing a reference for a college or job application.

 

Bottom line – we want this experience to be of mutual benefit to Arbor West Neighbors and to you.

 

Here is a sampling of some of the assignments we’re thinking about. This list will keep evolving and we welcome your suggestions a well.

 

Events

On Sunday Sept 29 from 1:30 – 3:30 we have a program called Green Living: Learning from Your Neighbors. This program is being done in cooperation with OPPL and is open to the entire community. If climate change and alternative energy are of interest to you, we’d welcome you to join us for the presentations. Our expectation is that you would interact with members and guests during and after the presentation to get a sense of what and why this is important to older adults in our community. Sometime after the presentation, we’d expect the student volunteers to meet with 2 -3 AWN members to share your reactions and ideas. Then we’d like you to make a presentation to our Advocacy Group – The Green Team – about what you learned – the impact on older adults and other generations - and share recommendations for what else the Green Team might consider to focus on. 

 

On Friday October 25 from 1 – 3  we have a program called Physical Wellbeing for Older Adults that will be at the Oak Park Arms. We know that might be a tough time slot. If you have interest in physical therapy, occupational therapy – even sports medicine – this may be of interest to you. We will have a doctor of PT and one of OT making the presentation with a lot of participant interaction.  You’d be a participant – possibly more if interested – with similar expectations mentioned earlier. Engage with participants and presenters to learn how and why this is important to older adults (maybe someone in your family). Sometime after the presentation, we’d expect the student volunteers to meet with 2 -3 AWN members to share your reactions and ideas. Then we’d value your help in designing the program for January – Mental Wellbeing for Older Adults. We’ll need to identify presenters, select a venue, and do some marketing.

 

Asset Mapping

A few years ago,  AWN did a survey of organizations that provide services for older adults in our community. Services run the gamut from food access to health services to transportation services and much more. We are in the process of verifying and updating this information. There are many possible ways to help:

• Help create a script to use for contacting service provides

• Contact service providers to verify and update information

• Help prepare materials to share this information

• Help develop a resource guide for print or web distribution

 

Community Outreach

• Help us get better known in the community. This might include writing articles that could be submitted to newspapers

• Help us identify organizations in our community to share information about AWN and possibly develop partnerships

 

Technology

• Train us how to better use Google Drive, including creating a simple training manual for new users – especially for email, calendar, surveys

• Help us determine if and how to use SignUp Genius

• Provide technical help for our members with phones, computers, general software and applications

• Website – WIX – check functionality especially links; search how to create members-only pages to reduce trolls and bots

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Engagement

AWN members would value the opportunity to engage with young people and share each of their perspectives on any number of things. 

• Just listening and sharing one on one or small group is a valuable way to create community. Even about one hour each with one person would be powerful. This might be of particular interest if you are thinking in majoring in psychology or gerontology.

• Interview members to help them tell their life story – then create documents and media that they could share with their family and friends. This might be a good way to utilize your interest and skills in  journalism.

• Work with a member to create a photographic or videographic experience of their life in Oak Park. This might be for someone who is no longer able to get around town easily, but want to remember what their house looked like, or how downtown has changed. 

 

Next steps
Gil Herman is  the designated overall student volunteer coordinator. Text or call him at 708-207-1879 or email Gil@ManagingHorizons.com.

 

We welcome you to earn your Civics service credit by doing something with us. Let us know what it interests you and why and when you might want to schedule something.  

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Thanks so much for your interest. We look forward to working with you.