September 2015 NUI Galway Event to Celebrate Civic Engagement in Later Life

Irish Centre for Social Gerontology will host event aimed at providing further opportunities for people to become more involved in their local communities

The Irish Centre for Social Gerontology is hosting an event to celebrate civic engagement and participation in later life at the Institute for Lifecourse and Society, NUI Galway on Wednesday, 16 September from 2pm-4.30pm.

The event will acknowledge and show appreciation for the enormous contribution made to society by people in the second half of life. Attendance is open to all and guests will have the opportunity to attend a series of short talks and visit exhibition stands where they can find out more about getting involved in their communities through local voluntary organisations.

This event also marks the national launch of Touchstone, an initiative of the Active Ageing Partnership, a joint project between three of Ireland’s largest organisations in the age sector. Active Retirement Ireland, Age and Opportunity and Third Age have come together as the Active Ageing Partnership to promote and encourage greater participation by older people in the life of their local communities. In Galway, Touchstone recruited fifty people aged 55 and over to a short course aimed at supporting them to become more involved in their local communities.

The event is partly aimed at providing further opportunities for people to become more engaged in community life. From 2pm-3pm there will be a series of short talks on the theme of civic engagement in later life. This will include presentations from participants of the Galway Touchstone programme who will talk about projects they have developed as a result of being involved in the short course.

Between 3pm and 4.30pm, guests will have the chance to visit 20 exhibition stands, where they can find out more about opportunities to get involved with organisations including: Age and Opportunity, Active Retirement Ireland, Third Age, Age Friendly Programme-Older Persons Council, Age Action West, Galway City Partnership, Galway Roscommon Education Training Board, Touchstone Stall, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, Galway Citizens Information Centre, Community Knowledge Initiative, COPE Galway, Volunteer Galway, Dementia Friendly Galway, Centre for Independent Living, St. Vincent De Paul Croi na Gallimhe, The Carers Association Loughrea, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Samaritans Galway, and Alone.

Places for the event are limited. To take part, please RSVP to icsg@nuigalway.ie to receive further information, the location of the event’s venue and parking arrangements.

For more information contact Professor Thomas Scharf, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, NUI Galway on 091 495459 or thomas.scharf@nuigalway.ie

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