Self Directed Volunteer Teams

After a day-long training conducted by n4a in August 2014, Self-Directed Volunteer Teams (SDVTs) formed and began active work on projects. A SDVT is a group of volunteers who share responsibility for addressing a challenge or opportunity in their community. Volunteers, many of whom are retirees, get an opportunity to put their skills to work addressing an issue they care about. Organizations and communities benefit when teams of volunteers with skills, experience and commitment to their community take on short-term projects and produce tangible outcomes.

The first SDVT project to be completed, on October 28, 2014, was a forum of candidates running for state and local offices to discuss their positions on issues impacting Larimer County seniors. Others followed:

• Local writers were organized to contribute personal stories to a monthly newspaper column entitled “Graceful Aging”.
• A survey was completed to explore creative senior housing options in other communities in Colorado and throughout the country.
• An informal walkability survey of county residents was followed by a formal walkability audit in Loveland under the guidance of AARP and the Walkability and Livable Communities Institute.
• Travel training days were organized first in Fort Collins, followed by Berthoud and Loveland, to familiarize seniors with local transit systems.
• A project is in progress to implement a local home sharing program.
• A team has organized to support and promote a Dementia-Friendly Communities program. 
• A housing charette was held on May 6, 2016 for local planners, builders, realtors and other housing stakeholders to explore age friendly design
•  2015 Summit on Aging...
• Preliminary discussions are currently underway to develop local standards for age-friendly building to be used as a statewide model for age-friendly building certification