O4O Context MappingRelationships between national context and

developing O4O social organisations

Sarah-Anne Munoz, Centre for Rural Health, UHI

Gathering and analysing information that allows the identification of how context affects the development of O4O initiatives.

• Policy

•Demography

• Volunteering – enterprise culture

Similarities and differences?

• Written questionnaires completed by O4O project partners

• Followed up with telephone interviews

• Participant validation of findings

Staged data gathering throughout the project

Thematic analysis of information

What is Context Mapping?

The O4O context mapping process was led by Dr. Sarah Skerratt at SAC

Definitions and perceptions of “older” vary by O4O partner country

Demographic Context

Figure 1: Definitions of “older” according to age in project partner countries (O4O Context Mapping Report, Skerratt, S., 2010)

The percentage of the population aged over 65 varies between O4O partner regions/ countries

Demographic Context

4 %

16 %

25 %

19.5 %

20.4 %

16.3 %

O4O partner countries have differing histories and cultures of formal volunteering.

• Reports of low levels of volunteering and motivation to volunteer

“It is a very big challenge for us to get older people to understand to do things for themselves. This generation is used to things being provided for them.”

• Voluntary activity may not be labelled as ‘volunteering’

“Voluntary services are not seen as something positive…because we have a history that the State or Municipality takes care of you after a lifetime of work.”

• Some associate volunteering with a (potential) loss of state service provision

“The people, especially the elderly, in the village think ‘are the Municipality therefore taking something away from us?’”

Participating in O4Os: volunteering cultures

“Nordic”

Working for a social purpose

Using business practice

Regulated work integration function

State support of salaries

“Celtic”

Working for a social purpose

Using business practice

Trading with ‘community’

Reinvesting profits in ‘community’

Participating in O4Os: enterprise cultures

PREVALANCE OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES WITHIN OUR O4O COUNTRIES

FEW

209 in Finland

FEW

170 in Sweden

Virtually none

3,000 in Scotland

35% rural

500 to 1,000

“The policies for addressing the specific needs of the elderly, and rural elderly…show that health and social services are components of a wider system which includes policies relating to transport, affordable fuel for heating and cooking, and housing.” (O4O Context Mapping Report, Skerratt)

• Gap between policy and implementation within communities

• Networking ‘politically’

• Social enterprise support and funding

Policy Context

Definitions of “older” affect who can/wants to be involved in O4O initiatives

Varying proportions of older people within rural populations present both opportunities and challenges

Volunteering cultures affect willingness to ‘get involved’ and the ways in which people participate

Contextual Expectations and Outcomes (1)

Enterprise culture can affect:

• Funding streams available/ accessible for developing O4O initiatives

• Organisational models of O4O initiatives

• Relationship between O4O initiatives and the public sector

A wide range of rural policy influences how older people can get involved in, and receive services from, O4O initiatives

Contextual Expectations and Outcomes (2)

O4O Context MappingRelationships between national context and

developing O4O social organisations

Sarah-Anne Munoz, Centre for Rural Health, UHISarah-anne.munoz@uhi.ac.uk

Culture and Policies: helping or hindering rural social enterprises in service provision? A policy briefing by Dr. Sarah Skerrat(SAC) on behalf of O4O