Older people have a lot to offer the young

I was able to take early retirement when I was 60, after an enjoyable and rewarding career in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

I recognise now how very fortunate I’ve been in life. My immediate family have always been fully supportive of everything I’ve tried to do, and were never judgemental when things went wrong as they inevitably did, at times.

Now I have an opportunity to put something back into society and hopefully let some younger, not so fortunate people as myself, benefit from what I’ve experienced - BYHP offers a near perfect environment to do this.

As I meet and talk to the youngsters passing through the organisation, I’m frequently disturbed by the total lack of confidence and self esteem that they display. Invariably, this is rooted in a basic lack of family support and constant critical pressure from their peers.

As I get older, I recognise the futility of being judgemental, of people or events. It creates an atmosphere of negativity which is difficult to overcome. Our young people need to experience real ‘hope’ and a realisation that they CAN succeed in life. If I can be seen as someone who takes them truly at face value, and is not judgemental, then perhaps any advice or guidance I might offer will be listened to.

Older people have a lot to offer the young, and can often associate more easily with them than their immediate families.
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Volunteering can be very fulfilling – try it ! ​

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Written by John Marshal 

To see Johns profile please visit
http://www.byhp.org.uk/our-volunteers.html