© RTL
In Luxembourg, 66 so-called Super Seniors aged over 50 are volunteering to tutor primary school children through a project that values seniors' experience while helping families and fostering intergenerational connection.
The project, launched by Aurelia Pattou, founder and director of the association Mouvement pour l'Égalité des Chances pour Tous (or Equal Chances Movement, MEC), aims to make better use of the valuable skills and experience of older adults. Pattou explained that older people are too often undervalued in society, even though many have much to contribute.
One of the volunteers is Michèle Barthélémy, who joined the programme six months ago. She regularly helps two children in her local community with their studies. Now retired after a long career in an IT company, she said she wanted to use her free time to do something enjoyable and useful.
For many older adults, the programme also helps combat isolation. Through the regular contact with children and their parents, they often become part of the family's wider support network, even beyond schoolwork. Asis, a 12-year-old who moved to Luxembourg from West Africa with his family two years ago, receives tutoring twice a week from Barthélémy. His mother said the help has been invaluable: the tutor takes time with her son, supports the whole family, and even helps her understand things better herself. "It's been great for us, especially for our integration into the country", she said.
Application procedure
Applicants can register with MEC by submitting a CV and cover letter. They then take tests in French, German, or mathematics, depending on the subjects they want to support, followed by a one-day training session explaining the school system and offering guidance on working with children.
Pattou stressed that each candidate is also interviewed individually to ensure safety and suitability, as tutoring takes place in family homes.
Families pay €10 per session, with €8 going to the Super Senior as compensation for travel expenses. Families receiving social aid pay only €5 per session. The initiative is not about earning money but about feeling useful and building bridges between generations.
According to Pattou, the programme's demand continues to grow. She noted that more families are seeking support than there are volunteers available, and new Super Seniors are especially needed in the municipalities of Dudelange and Dippach.
Those interested can apply here.
