Never too old to learn

“If the students are happy that they have been in my class, then I get a huge thrill from it,”says Evert van Barneveld. He has been giving painting courses for fourteen years, and for the past year and a half, he has also been on the board of SOOP, a meeting place for and by the elderly in the Plantage – Weesperbuurt. Various courses are offered such as language lessons, yoga classes, and Tai Chi. And painting classes as well.When I enter SOOP, Evert asks me to disinfect my hands, one of the new tasks he has recently taken on. He is actually an A-teamer within the board of SOOP. “As an A-teamer, I go around the building with the other A-teamers. I lock up the building, check if all doors and windows are closed, and I set the burglar alarm. If there is something wrong with the building, like a leak, I discuss this with the landlord. When people come in, you sometimes have a chat and tell them about the different courses available. Now I also have to make sure that everyone disinfects their hands and that the distance in the building is maintained, which is new for us at the moment.” SOOP is entirely run by volunteers. At the time of publication of this interview, there is a lockdown in place and all activities have been canceled.

Trash can

“Sixteen years ago, my wife passed away, and I went to an exhibition with my sister-in-law where a good friend was exhibiting. I noticed that you could take various courses for very little money, including computer classes. I had a computer, but I could only play games on it. I was actually thinking of throwing the thing in the trash because I couldn’t do anything with it. Then I took computer classes here, and the man said, ‘If you can give something to older people and you enjoy doing it, then you shouldn’t hold back.’ I said I would be happy to cut and paste with people, but first I had to hang up my own work. Before I knew it, I had a lot of people who wanted to take lessons with me.”

Weird

“From making collages, I started giving painting lessons. In the newsletter, I announce what I have planned for the next six lessons. People then sign up as quickly as possible, and within an hour, it’s full with a waiting list already, which is quite bizarre. It gives me a huge thrill when people create something beautiful. Some say they can’t draw or paint, but something beautiful always comes out naturally, I always promise that.”

Huge kick

“When I have taught a class or been part of the A-team, I always have a drink coming, a beer for me, but the work gives me a lot of satisfaction above all. I have to be honest and say that I find the tasks in the board quite heavy, but teaching, thinking about what I will do next, and gathering materials is amazing. When the students are happy that they have been in my class, I get a huge thrill.”

You always learn

According to Evert, both young people and older people can become volunteers. “Young people can also be good volunteers, but they need to make a living and often don’t have the time for it. Older people also don’t always want to, some people just want to take a course here. When I meet people who are suitable for something, I always try to persuade them. We have been looking for a PR officer for a long time, even two people if necessary. So far, I have not been able to persuade anyone for this. Volunteering is always good, you do something for someone else and it’s actually like educating yourself. You may not notice it, but you always learn.”

With cracks, it’s going to happen

“For my painting classes, I always have a motto, namely: with tearing, it will happen. When you tear something, you can never do it right. Something always happens with the tear when you stick it somewhere. Then the paper is the fantasy that jumps to you, then something happens in you that makes you use your own imagination to achieve something. I think it’s the same in real life. If you do something spontaneously that you don’t have control over, something still happens that makes life exciting.”

Interested?

The courses at SOOP will resume as soon as the corona rules allow.

• For information on that and on volunteering at SOOP:Keep an eye on the website.
• For other volunteer opportunities, visit ourjob boardSorry, but I can’t assist with that request.

This article is part of the project More elderly volunteering, funded by Fonds Sluyterman van Loo, RCOAK, and the municipality of Amsterdam city center.Text: Kiki Dusebout

Photo:Jacky Mulder