Five ways Age-friendly Communities are taking intergenerational approaches
This week sees the start of Global Intergenerational Week, a campaign encouraging everyone to embrace intergenerational practice and relationships.
To celebrate, our Age-friendly Communities Learning Officer Rebecca Lines, highlights some of the ways communities up and down the land are promoting intergenerational engagement.
Opportunities for intergenerational connection are a key part of what makes a community age-friendly. Across the UK Network of Age-friendly Communities, places are finding innovative ways to bring people across generations together to work, live and play.
In support of Global Intergenerational Week, we’re shining a spotlight on just a few of the ways Age-friendly Communities are taking intergenerational approaches in their place, and in doing so, promoting a greater understanding and respect between generations.
1) Raising intergenerational awareness
Councils across Northern Ireland have been illuminating their buildings pink to support and celebrate Global Intergenerational Week 2023.
As part of the campaign Generations Together Northern Ireland have launched a small grants scheme, All Ages April, which aims to create connections across generations and links between groups, settings and organisations that wouldn’t normally work together.
Successful applicants this year include care homes, youth groups, schools, nurseries, community groups and housing schemes, with the hopes the funding will foster lasting intergenerational relationships for the future.
2) Building intergenerational partnerships
For the recent Age Without Limit’s Action Day, Age UK Carlisle and Eden worked collaboratively with Carlisle College to create an intergenerational 'Vintage Fashion Show'.
As part of the event, students upcycled and styled clothes from their local Age UK shop, while older models proudly walked the catwalk.
3) Celebrate Intergenerational Spaces and Communities
Banbury Community Action Group’s community garden is a great focus for all generations, and is home to several Age Friendly Banbury benches.
For its launch, an Intergenerational Community Fair saw a range of groups including Age Friendly Banbury come together under gazebos, participate in seed swaps and the building of children's dens from scrap materials.
4) Breaking down age barriers
Age-friendly Cardiff’s intergenerational project saw young people supporting older people with tech in care homes.
As part of Cardiff Council’s Into Work Advice Service, workshops were created to upskill 16-24 year olds, who then had the opportunity to gain group-based work experience in local care homes.
Through the placements, both young and older participants were able to build relationships and learn new skills.
5) Building solidarity between generations
Greater Manchester’s This is What An Activist Looks Like campaign challenged the notion of intergenerational conflict and showed how different generations have common interests and can work together in the fight against climate crisis and environmental destruction.
Commissioned by Greater Manchester Older People’s Network (GMOPN) and run by the Talking About My Generation team, the campaign highlighted the intergenerational activists in action; from green transport and litter picking to protesting and growing your own food in communities across the city region.
For more information about Global Intergenerational week, and additional support and resources, visit here.
The Global Intergenerational Week campaign is organised and coordinated by Generations Working Together with support from an executive team comprising of Linking Generations (Northern Ireland), Bridging the Generations (Wales), and the Beth Johnson Foundation & Apples and Honey Nightingale (England).