Action Programme Multi-Generational Centres: What is it about?

Action Programme Multi-Generational Centres: What is it about?
Demographic change, the demands of the workplace, cultural diversity: many things have changed in
our society in the last decades. It is no longer taken for granted that many generations live together
under one roof. Mobility and flexibility are concepts that not only mean exciting challenges, but also
stress and organisational demands for many people both at work and in daily life. At the same time,
people still long for a sense of community, stable social relationships and familial cohesion. The life
expectancy in Germany has risen in the last decades: Someone who is 60 years old today has on average
20 more years of healthy and active life to spend. Many senior citizens want to make good use of this
time to benefit both themselves and others. At the same time younger people are often looking for
advice and guidance or want to be more active.
The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth founded the Action
Programme Multi-Generational Centres in 2006 in order to find and implement solutions for the
challenges of the future. During the first Action Programme 2006 - 2012 a total of 500 MultiGenerational Centres were funded through the European Social Funds as well as funds from the federal
government.
Multi-Generational Centres as a solution for the challenges of demographic change: 450
central contact points in the municipalities
The Action Programme Multi-Generational Centres II of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior
Citizens, Women and Youth began in 2012. The 450 participating Multi-Generational Centres work
together with the municipalities in which they are located to develop tailored solutions for all of the
everyday challenges of the people living in the municipality. Nearly all districts (Landkreise) and cities
(kreisfreie Städte) nationwide have their own Multi-Generational Centre.
Multi-Generational Centres as meetings places: open, committed and cross-generational
Multi-Generational Centres are central meeting places, where social cohesion between the generations
is actively promoted. They offer room for joint activities and promote a sense of community in the
municipality. While some Centres have integrated multi-generational housing into their field of
activities, the Multi-Generational Centres are not exclusively housing projects.
The name Multi-Generational Centres comes from the cross-generational approach which is the
trademark of each Centre: the young and the elderly come together during activities of the Centre, they
help each other, learn from each other and spend time together – whether during recreational activities,
formal events or informally at the open meeting place. The interaction between generations promotes
the development of everyday skills and knowledge, improves social integration and strengthens social
cohesion – outside of family settings.
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The heart of every Multi-Generational Centre: the open meeting place
Multi-Generational Centres develop their services based on the needs in their municipality. However,
the four key areas defined as part of the Action Programme also provide a common framework so that
all Centres have similar structures. In this manner, the 450 Multi-Generational Centres have a strong
foundation based on which they can develop their activities and services.
The key areas of the Action Programme are:
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aging and long-term elderly care
integration and education
household services
voluntary work
People of all ages and all (cultural) backgrounds volunteer at the 450 nationwide Centres participating in
the Action Programme Multi-Generational Centres II. Those interested can also take advantage of the
diverse services and activities of the Centres. These include educational and creative activities for
children and youth, educational courses for those interested in re-entering the labour market after a
parental or family leave, care and support services for the elderly and for persons suffering from
dementia as well as their family members, language courses for migrants and much more. The MultiGenerational Centres have long proven to be competent und reliable partners for people of all ages and
all walks of life to promote work-life-balance – both with regards to the compatibility of work and
family as well as the compatibility of work and care of elderly family members.
Multi-Generational centres as a central stop for voluntary work and a platform for
cooperation with local players
People of all ages and all backgrounds have the possibility to volunteer in the Multi-Generational
Centres. Working voluntarily in the Centres opens up many opportunities for the volunteers, enabling
them to strengthen their social and professional skills. In this manner the Centres promote labour
market integration in general as well as the integration of migrants in particular. Services promoting the
integration of migrants have recently gained importance. Many Centres and the volunteers who work in
them are actively involved in helping refugees.
The Centres establish binding and long-term partnerships with the various players in their
municipalities. These include associations, cultural and educational institutions, foundations, volunteer
agencies, the media and local businesses. In this manner the Centres are an inherent part of the social
infrastructure and a key player in the coordination of voluntary work. Every Centre participating in the
Action Programme is also an official deployment site for the National Voluntary Services
(Bundesfreiwilligendienst).
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Support through the Action Programme
The Centres receive comprehensive support and advice regarding the content of the Action Programme,
as well as the financial and structural framework. The service agency is the central partner that advises
the Centres and supports networking activities. They offer the Centres support per telephone, per e-mail
as well as, in certain cases, directly at the Centres. Furthermore, they organise the transfer of know-how
and the networking between individual projects. The PR agency supports the Centres with local and
national press work. The service centre for funding supports the Centres with financial issues. In
addition, the Ministry has commissioned an external monitoring and formative evaluation of the Action
Programme, which plays an important role in identifying key factors for the success of the MultiGenerational Centres and aspects of the Action Programme that could be improved. This is done on the
basis of a monitoring system for the individual Centres, surveys on a regular basis and case studies. The
results are communicated directly to the Centres and are integrated into further support of the Centres
through the Action Programme. In this manner the successful efforts of the Centres can be optimised
continuously.
Funding of the Multi-Generational Centres in the Action Programme II
Each of the 450 Centres participating in the Action Programme Multi-Generational Centres of the
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth from 2012 until 2016 receives an
annual grant of €40,000: €30,000 from the federal government and €10,000 from the municipality,
district (Landkreis) or federal state (Bundesland).
The federal government aims to secure the work of the Multi-Generational Centres on the long-term. In
a framework agreement the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, the
federal states and the central municipal associations have agreed to work together to support the MultiGenerational Centres. Furthermore, the cabinet resolution regarding the federal budget for 2016 and the
financial plan for 2015 – 2019 are important steps towards the long-term funding of the Centres after
2017.
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