Students Visit a Retirement Home

Rhode-Saint-Genèse – Since February, a class from EEB1 Uccle has been visiting a retirement home and spending time with elderly residents. Located in Rhode-Saint-Gen`ese, Blaret Retirement Home has welcomed the initiative, which was organized by the school and its teachers to encourage pupils to participate in active community life and to create connections between generations. This experience brings joy and happiness to the residents while helping students develop maturity.
During the visits, students often play games and engage in conversations with the residents. Every week, pupils and elderly residents meet on Saturday for an hour, where they spend time listening, playing, and learning from one another. EEB1 students introduce simple board games such as chess and others. In addition, both generations exchange life stories, making each activity enriching for everyone involved. Residents share interesting insights about their jobs, childhood, and how life was different many years ago.

For many students, these visits are valuable social experiences. One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing the smiles of the elderly residents. The bond between pupils and residents continues to grow stronger with each visit. This interaction encourages students to become more mature in their everyday lives. By connecting generations, students actively contribute to their community.

“A nice experience,” said one of the pupils attending for the first time.

All participants expressed their satisfaction with taking part in the visits to Blaret Retirement Home.

“A big thank you to the students and their teachers for this warm and pleasant moment,” said the manager of the retirement home.

In conclusion, this experience has been highly positive and remains open to welcoming other students. It benefits both the residents and the pupils of EEB1. Students and teachers are looking forward to organising more activities, including outdoor events in the garden and around the Blaret grounds.

E. Liesse, EEB1, S5FR

A Meaningful Experience at Blaret Retirement Home

Hello, my name is Anouk, and I would like to share my experience at the Blaret retirement home in Belgium. I enjoy volunteering there because it helps the people who live at the residence. Some residents do not have family members nearby or receive very few visitors. If I can brighten even just one hour of their day, I am happy to do so.
This human experience has also helped me learn how to adapt to everyone’s pace, to become more patient, and to truly listen to others. Activities such as games and conversations quickly create connections, especially with the residents we see regularly. I met a lady named Rose, who was 100 years old. She was full of life, always positive, and ready to share her best stories with us. I found it very touching that she opened up to us. She also gave me advice that I will always remember:

“You have to have bad days so that there can be good ones.”

This experience is also a valuable asset for the future. For students interested in medicine or caregiving, volunteering at a retirement home is extremely enriching because it allows them to better understand this environment. Personally, it gave me the opportunity to ask questions to both the staff and the residents about their previous professions, which I found very interesting. Learning more about your future path becomes easier when you receive advice from people with greater life experience.

Ultimately, I believe this experience develops a sense of responsibility and helps me become more independent. It proves that you can learn a great deal while also sharing wonderful moments and a few laughs

Anouk, EEB1, S4

Retirement home project

Recently, our english teacher proposed to her classes a volunteering  project. This project was aiming to spend some time with elderly people at Blaret nursing home. Seniors can feel lonely when they have to spend all their time at a nursing home and our visits tried to make this time less lonely and overall happier.

We went to the nursing every Saturday for a few months and Mrs Music-Softic left us the choice to come when we had time and I’ve had the pleasure to come several times. The first time a nurse came to stay with us while we were doing some activities. The activities would include: playing board games, some cards game, chess, talking about our life and theirs. While talking to them we could learn more about some really interesting lives and with the times we came i felt they really opened up. 

The atmosphere became warmer and more welcoming. The nursing home is divided in two floors, the first one has people who just can’t live alone anymore and the second floor has people suffering from diverses illnesses. Our group was divided into two part across the two floors. Both groups said the experience was enriching.

In conclusion this project was great because not only we had the opportunity to make elederly people feel less lonely and at the same time we could learn more about their lives and experiences. I think project like those are truly important in our society as we often forget to take good care of the elderly people, and i would like to thank Mrs Music-Softic and Blaret nursing home for making this project doable.

Axelle M. EEB1, S5FR.

Volunteering at Vulpia: A Meaningful Experience

Rhode-Saint-Genèse. Over the past few months, I have been volunteering at the retirement home Vulpia in Rhode-Saint-Genèse, near Brussels. This project was initiated by my English teacher, Mrs. Music-Softic, to create an exchange between students and elderly residents. I visited almost every Saturday afternoon and always had a positive experience.

At the retirement home, supported by a very kind and welcoming staff, I gained valuable experience. We not only spoke with residents about their life stories and experiences, but also explained games to them and helped them learn new activities.

Of course, it was not always easy to communicate with everyone, as some residents have health problems or chronic Illnesses.

However, this challenge helped us develop important skills such as patience and understanding.

The elderly residents were very kind, and it was clear how much they appreciated our visits each time. For us as students, it only takes an hour a week to spend time talking with others, but for the residents, it means a great deal. Participating in this project alongside other students also allowed me to build new friendships.

Through this experience, I not only met new people and discovered new perspectives but also learned to appreciate life more deeply. It has been a rewarding and meaningful journey, and I would recommend it to everyone who is thinking about starting a social project.

Milena M., EEB1, S5DEA.