The perceived benefits of participating in volunteer and educational activities

A program evaluation of OASIS, a national non-profit organization which pro vides educational and volunteer opportunities to people over the age of 55, focused on the benefits of participating in educational and volunteer acti vities. A total of 289 older adults provided their perspectives on the exte nt to which participation in these activities benefited them in four domain s: socialization (social interaction), generativity (productivity), well-be ing (life satisfaction), and opportunity (chance for new endeavors). The su rvey results indicate that, in general, older adults perceive that they ben efit from participation in these activities. Participants perceived the mos t benefit in the domain of opportunity, followed by well-being, and then, a t the same level, socialization and generativity. Volunteers reported more benefit overall than class takers. When asked what was most beneficial abou t participation, most respondents mentioned interacting with new people.