“They have an active role in society”: in Amadora, seniors are agents dedicated to community safety
“Don’t do that. Be careful. It’s dangerous.†Regarding various everyday situations, for ten years Carmo Amaral has been repeating and sharing advice with friends, neighbors or even strangers. It was in 2014 that he signed up, without having “the slightest idea what it wasâ€, at the Amadora Civil Protection Senior Academy, a project that was beginning to take its first steps at the time.
“I had a colleague who had a situation with a microwave, she put the mug in and the water, when she went to take it out, exploded in her face. This is one of the things I always tell people,” he says in a conversation with Expresso. Another warning he usually leaves is about something apparently simple. “Crossing the street distractedly, elderly people, especially, don’t realize the danger they are in.â€
These are just a few examples of the much that Carmo, 70, says he has learned since joining the Senior Academy. “Now I see that I have to be careful too,†he analyzes. The objective of the initiative is precisely to educate the older population about the “main risks and dangers†existing in the city and “what are the associated self-protection measures†, explains the municipal coordinator of Civil Protection at the Chamber of Amadora, Luís Carvalho.
After training that covers topics as varied as urban fires, earthquakes, floods, fraud or you stay in public spacethe new senior agents are able to be the ones to transmit the knowledge they acquire about security measures: among peers, with awareness-raising actions in institutions such as day centers, but also in other generations, through activities in schoolsaimed at children aged four and five.
Agents in one of the activities with children
Being with the younger people is what fulfills Carmo the most, retired and now dedicated to volunteering. “For me, children are everything. We learned a lot, both from the children and from other elderly people. They start telling stories. Age passes and we learn from each other,†she says. In addition to being “an enriching job†, there is another “very important†factor. “Force me to leave the house. And interacting with people. If it weren’t for that, I might not leave the house like I do.â€
But it is also for the community itself that the role played by the 36 senior agents already trained since the beginning of the project – with an average age of 70 years – makes a difference. “For us it has been fundamental. They have a decisive role. Above all, through their efforts, we are currently able to reach a senior population that we were not able to reach until 2014. This is notable”, highlights Luís Carvalho, indicating that â “around 20%†of Amadora’s population is over 65 years old.
And agents “feel much greater personal and social appreciation†. “They are not at home. We are talking about independent people, some of them were at the day center to pass the time and now they are dedicated to this cause. They have an active role in society,” he highlights.
Intergenerational activity at EBI/JI Santa Bárbara da Ilha Terceira
Dynamism provided growth
Something that began with a United Nations campaign aimed at building “Resilient Cities†, which encouraged the population’s involvement “in the logic of reducing risk of catastrophe”, ended up growing due to the “dynamism” and “life experience” of the participants. “We intended to form a group of people within the institutions to be able to carry the message. And we quickly realized that they are people with immense strengths and that they want more,” portrays Luís Carvalho.
That is why, at the moment, senior agents even participate in various areas of Civil Protection work, for example helping with logistics or in simulation exercises, which they follow as “observers and note pointers and anomaly situations†. It is a “multiplicity of actions†that they “suggested and have been implementing and complementing the service†.
What he has experienced represents, for Carmo, “a surprise†. “I didn’t think about working with children when I retired. I was afraid something would happen. Not these days, I feel comfortable,” he admits. The role of agent is certainly one to continue. “As long as you can, count on me.â€
Antonio Pedro Ferreira
For the future, the Academy’s objectives include investing in a “more active” participation in the operational part of Civil Protection, having a “greater presence” in schools and continuing the work carried out in public places , lists the municipal coordinator of Civil Protection. “It’s the best way for us to ‘catch’ people: they are in cafes or on park benches. If I put half a dozen of these agents from the Senior Academy to raise awareness, the success will be much greater than me carrying out this action.â€
The person responsible also considers that this “inspiring project†, awarded on different occasions, can serve to “others follow suit†, applying it with the necessary adaptation. Carmo is peremptory: “There should be a Senior Academy in other cities.â€
