Let's Enjoy Senior Life! (63) = Let's Do Volunteer Work =

Hello, everyone.
I am Cheetah-ra, and I will soon be 70 years old.
I work as a financial planner (FP), providing advice and proposals regarding money.
In this article, I will refer to people aged 60 and over as "seniors," but since I am a senior myself, I am thinking of making life planning for seniors my life's work.
This time, the theme is "Let's do volunteer work," and I will talk about the effects of volunteer work and points to keep in mind.

Have you ever read "Hayabusa Fire Brigade" by Jun Ikeido?
https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?isbn=978-4-08-744767-5
The story follows Taro Mima, a mystery writer who moves from Tokyo to the Hayabusa district of Yaoyorozu Town in the Chubu region, joins the Yaoyorozu Town Fire Brigade Hayabusa Branch (commonly known as the Hayabusa Fire Brigade), and gets caught up in a series of suspicious fires occurring in the town.
This novel was adapted into a drama and aired on the TV Asahi network from July 13 to September 14, 2023, so many of you may have seen it on TV.

By the way, did you know that fire brigades are disaster prevention volunteer organizations composed of local residents?
Fire brigade members are "part-time special local public servants" who carry out activities while holding a main job.
Fire brigade activities are diverse, ranging from firefighting during fires to rescue and evacuation guidance during earthquakes and storms/floods, providing guidance for fire and disaster prevention drills, and fire prevention awareness activities. In many municipalities, anyone can become a fire brigade member as long as they meet all of the following: (1) they live, work, or attend school in that municipality, (2) they are 18 years or older, and (3) they are in good health.
Note that even though it is volunteer work, because it is dangerous, fire brigade members are paid, and there is a public disaster compensation system for injuries sustained during activities.

Why don't you take this opportunity to do some volunteer work?

The effects of volunteer work on seniors(Note 227)
(Note 227) This section refers to the paper "Determinants of Social Contribution Activities and Their Impact on Physical and Mental Well-being among Middle-aged and Older Japanese: A Longitudinal Analysis of Two Representative Panels" by Hiroshi Shibata, Yoko Sugihara, and Hiroshi Sugisawa (Japanese Journal of Gerontology, 6(1), 21-38 (2012)), as well as articles on the following sites.
https://life.saisoncard.co.jp/post/c59/
https://www8.cao.go.jp/kourei/ishiki/r01/zentai/index.html

According to the Cabinet Office's "FY2019 Survey on the Economic Life of the Elderly (Overall Version)," the social activities currently engaged in by men and women aged 60 and over are most commonly "activities of autonomous organizations such as neighborhood associations and town associations" at 21.8%, followed by "volunteer and social service activities through hobbies and sports" at 16.9%, with other activities being in the minority.
On the other hand, "not particularly engaged in any activities" accounted for 63.3%.
By the way, according to the aforementioned paper by Hiroshi Shibata et al., it has become clear that engaging in (1) paid work (work with income), (2) unpaid work outside the home (support for non-cohabiting family, support for friends and neighbors, volunteering), or (3) unpaid work inside the home (housework, care for cohabiting family) has a positive effect on the physical and mental health of seniors.

In the era of the 100-year life, it's not fun if you don't do something, is it?
Let's look at the effects of the volunteer activities mentioned in (2) above on seniors.
〇 Can become a reason for living
By doing volunteer work for the local community, you can feel a value different from work, housework, and child-rearing.
〇 Leads to physical and mental health
Through volunteer activities, you can maintain your physical and mental health by moving your body moderately and interacting with people and society.
〇 Can increase opportunities for communication
Volunteer activities require communication with those around you.
Even for seniors who usually have few opportunities for conversation, through volunteer activities, they can increase their opportunities for conversation and maintain involvement with the local community.

How to find volunteer opportunities
Volunteer activities are recruited by organizations such as the following. If you are thinking about participating in volunteer activities, let's check the sites of these organizations.
〇 Council of Social Welfare
The Councils of Social Welfare, which are established in municipalities nationwide, provide information and consultation regarding volunteer activities through volunteer centers, and you can consult directly with the volunteer center of the prefectural, designated city, or municipal Council of Social Welfare where you live.
They can introduce you to volunteer opportunities in the medical and welfare fields, such as support for the elderly, support for people with disabilities, and child-rearing support.
〇 Municipalities
In addition to the Council of Social Welfare, the municipality where you live also supports various volunteer activities.
・ Regional revitalization/community development: Various activities are possible, such as managing marathon events and planning to solve local issues. You can also search for volunteer opportunities on specialized sites such as "activo."
https://activo.jp/
・ Disaster support: Activities for reconstruction and support for disaster victims during disasters.
・ Environmental conservation: Activities related to nature protection and environmental conservation, such as picking up trash, tree planting, and global warming countermeasures.
・ Child support: Various activities are possible, such as children's cafeterias, learning support, creating places for children, and infant homes.
・ International cooperation/exchange: You can work with an international perspective, such as translation, refugee support, and overseas volunteering.
〇 Others
In addition to the above, there are also new forms of volunteering such as "Otetsutabi," which combines regional contribution with travel.
https://otetsutabi.com/plans

Points to keep in mind when doing volunteer work(Note 228)
(Note 228) This section refers to articles on the following sites.
https://life.saisoncard.co.jp/post/c59/
When participating in volunteer activities, you need to be careful about the following points.
〇 Be careful of illness and injury
Some volunteer activities require waking up early, traveling long distances, or doing physical labor.
Understand the content of the volunteer activity and the time involved in advance, and choose activities that match your physical strength.
〇 Keep in mind that it is a group activity
As it appears in the story of "Hayabusa Fire Brigade," many volunteer activities, including fire brigade activities, are group activities. Value cooperation with other members, and confirm and follow agreements and rules.
〇 Join volunteer insurance
You may get injured or cause damage to others in the process of volunteer activities. Given these risks, make sure to join volunteer insurance.

Experiences of Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteers(Note 229)
(Note 229) This section refers to Wikipedia's "Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteers" as well as articles on the following sites.
https://www.teinengo-lab.or.jp/library/4264/

At the end of this article, I will introduce part of an interview with a senior overseas volunteer (now a Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteer).
The Senior Overseas Cooperation Volunteer program is an overseas volunteer dispatch system implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an independent administrative institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) conducted by the Japanese government. It requires high-level skills as a specialist, and the hurdle for adoption is said to be higher than that of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.
Mr. Akio Shimada retired from his company at the age of 58, just before his retirement age, and began studying to be a Japanese language teacher. He gained experience as a Japanese language teacher for 5 and a half years in China, 1 and a half years in Japan, and 2 years in Thailand, and applied for the JICA Senior Overseas Volunteer program in April 2015.
Then, from January 2016, he taught Japanese to Japanese descendants and Chileans at the "Chile Central Japanese Association" in Santiago, the capital of the Republic of Chile, for two years (returned to Japan in January 2018).
〇 Question: When you were working as a Japanese language teacher, what did you find rewarding?
〇 Answer: The thing that made me happiest was seeing the children studying hard, even though I was also exhausted from studying how to teach. When I could see that will, that "I want to study" in a fun way, during class, it made me feel very happy.
I found it rewarding when I was working at a company, but it's a slightly different feeling. (Omitted)
〇 Question: Is there anything you wish you had worked harder on (studied) before you retired?
〇 Answer: IT literacy, is it? That is very important!
〇 Answer: Being able to create beautiful materials with PowerPoint, for example. It's also convenient if you can use spreadsheets.
There was a Japanese speech contest, and I would input the judges' scores, calculate them on the spot, and announce them immediately. That was easy, so I did it, but until I started, no one else did it that way. (Omitted)
Also, smartphones, I guess. JICA lends you a smartphone. For contact work, or to let you know about dangerous situations, or conversely, to contact them if something happens. It was the first time I was given one, and I couldn't master the many functions. Operating a smartphone is also a skill. (Omitted)
Young people can do it, but in our case, it was up to PCs.
〇 Question: As a senior, do you have any advice for people in their 50s who are about to try something?
〇 Answer: It was when the company was busy, but I served as chairman or vice-chairman of the neighborhood association for 5 years. Most of the activities were on Sundays, but... summer festivals, anything is fine, participating properly in cleaning days, anyway, I think it's better to participate from small things. (Omitted)
〇 Question: Does life after quitting a company become fun?
〇 Answer: Yes, it does, easily with everyone. (Omitted)
In local activities, male labor is relatively valued. Taking the portable shrine (mikoshi) out of the warehouse, assembling it, and so on. Eventually, they start saying, "Please do this, please do that." Since I can't refuse, when I participate, it becomes fun.
〇 Question: Any other advice?
〇 Answer: (Omitted) You shouldn't drag around (your old title) like "former so-and-so department manager at △△ company," and you should associate with friends as friends.
Also... it's important to have the feeling of doing everything yourself, anyway, try doing it yourself. There are no subordinates or convenient organizations to do troublesome things for you.

That is all for my talk about the effects of volunteer work and points to keep in mind.
Thank you for reading this far. If you have any opinions or impressions, I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment.
Next time, I will also talk about hints for enjoying senior life, based on the opinions received from everyone and recent topics in the streets.