Senior Vulonteer Project (SVP) Exchange Programme

The Freundeskreis Italien e.V. together with the social cooperative Kara Bobowski from Modigliana carried out the Senior 50 plus (SVP) project of Grundtvig. The National Agencies in Bonn and Rome supported the project with volunteers from the municipality of Hofbieber and its Italian partner region.

During the European exchange project, the participants gained insights into the everyday life of the respective country and gained first language skills. The participants from the municipality of Hofbieber worked for 3 weeks at the Cooperativa Kara Bobowski, a centre for people with disabilities in Modigliana (FC), Protezione civile, AUSER and the alpinists Tredozio.  In Hofbieber, the volunteers from Italy were deployed in various areas of the municipality: carpentry and kitchen of the Hermann-Lietz-Schule at Schloss Bieberstein, youth education centre Ludwig-Wolker-Haus in Kleinsassen, forest kindergarten Rhönwichtel Langenbieber, municipal administration Hofbieber-Freundeskreis Italien and in the kindergarten in Langenbieber.

The aim of the volunteer exchange 50 plus is to acquire new knowledge in the process of lifelong learning.

The project was scientifically supported by the ISIS Institute for Social Infrastructure in Frankfurt and prepared in the Twin & Go project. Together with the district of Offenbach, the municipality of Hofbieber was able to take part in a preparatory meeting in Vienna (2009). The result was published by the ISIS Institute in a brochure and on DVD.

The participating volunteers from Hofbieber and the Italian partner community were between 57-76 years old during their assignments.

The exchange projects took place in the period

01.08.2009 - 31.07.2011 and 01.08.2010 - 31.07.2012

The volunteers from the municipality of Hofbieber 

2009 - 2011 (7 participants)
Christa Chrostek
AUSER, Modigliana
From 16.03.-05.04.2009

Birgit and Werner Sondergeld
Alpini Tredozio
from 04.04.-15.04.2009

Susanne Bockelmann
Kara Bobowski, Modigliana
from 20.04.- 10.05.2009

Gerd and Gertrud Wagner
Protezione Civile and Kara Bobowski, Modigliana
from 11.05.-30.05.2009

Christa Mollenhauer
Kara Bobowski, Modigliana
from 24.05.-11.06.2009

2010 - 2012 (all 6 participants)
Outreach to the Kara Bobowski social cooperative in Modigliana

Werner and Inge Dörigmann
from 05.04.-27.04.2011

Christa Chrostek
from 04.09.-25.09.2011

Gerda Michelsons
from 01.07.2011-21.07.2011

Renate and Thomas Kammandel
from 17.09.-10.10.2011

The volunteers from the Italian partner region

2009 - 2011 (2 participants)

Umberto Carloni
Catholic Women of Germany (KfD) Hofbieber
from 23.03.-09.04.2009

Gilberta (Gibi) Guidi
Forest Kindergarten Langenbieber, Birth Centre Fulda, Helios Clinic Hünfeld
from 06.05.-27.05.2009

2010 - 2012 (6 participants)

Umberto Carloni
Ludwig Wolker House, Hofbieber-Kleinsassen
from 30.05.-19.06.2011

Girgio Laghi
Joinery Hermann-Lietz-School, Bieberstein Castle
from 30.05.-19.06.2011

Floriana Fiorini
Volunteer at the kindergarten Langenbieber
from 29.04. - 20.05.2012

Teresa Palatti
Kitchen Hermann-Lietz-School, Bieberstein Castle
from 29.04. - 20.05.2012

Margeritha Capelli
Kitchen Hermann-Lietz-School, Bieberstein Castle
from 14.06.-05.07.2012

Claudio Barnabe and Giorgio Maretti (blind since birth)
Translations of the guidelines of the Circle of Friends of Italy, Municipality of Hofbieber
from 29.04. - 20.05.2012