Training new youth volunteers before they meet with seniors in care facilities can require a significant amount of time and resources from care facility staff. As of right now, there is no free, standardized and accessible training option to certify prospective volunteers. This is even more important in the case of memory care and dementia facilities. Students in Lifting Hearts with the Arts are partnering with seniors at care facilities as well as experts in the field of aging and intergenerational work, such as researchers from MIT, NIU, and other universities as well as care facility staff to co-create online training modules. Topics include general volunteer training, communication skills, memory care unit training and more. Modules consist of slides, digitally animated videos and videos from experts and seniors, and are followed by a short quiz that if passed, provides the user with a certificate of completion. After prospective volunteers complete and pass the module, they will receive a certificate and written summary of the module content that they can refer back to for additional information.
This program is in it's pilot year (23-24) and is currently sponsored by Innovation80. We are in the process of looking for more funding to maximize the research, impact and spread of the program. Our goal is to expand these modules to youth, care facilities for training and others, across the country, free of charge.
This program is in it's pilot year (23-24) and is currently sponsored by Innovation80. We are in the process of looking for more funding to maximize the research, impact and spread of the program. Our goal is to expand these modules to youth, care facilities for training and others, across the country, free of charge.