This week it’s Global Intergenerational Week! To mark the occasion, we are celebrating 20 organisations, initiatives and charities that share our vision and are committed to connecting older and younger generations.
As the UK’s only intergenerational childcare provider, GrandNanny offers grandparent-style childcare for families who need an extra pair of hands. We also provide a package of support and training to get more midlife and older childcarers into childcare jobs. We know that families across the UK are experiencing a childcare crisis and there is an urgent need for more experienced, flexible, and affordable childcarers. We are proud to play an innovative role in retaining and bringing more midlife and older people into the sector.
But today isn’t about us! Today we’re awarding 11 amazing intergenerational projects an Intergenerational Innovation award. We recognise how hard these teams are working to connect communities across generations.
We want to celebrate these intergenerational projects and organisations that share our GrandNanny values and are looking to bridge the gap between generations.
Following on from our Innovative Intergenerational Project Awards for Charities, we want to acknowledge Community and Intergenerational Programmes in this Awards blog.
Here are the shortlisted innovative community and intergenerational programmes – in no particular order:
- Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire/ Norwood Nursing Home
St Luke’s High School (Barrhead, Scotland) students have interviewed those living at Norwood Nursing Home and have been doing research to help them write their life stories. This is part of a project to commemorate the ‘Year of the Story’. Care Home manager, Annemarie McNaught said, “The finale [of the programme] was fabulous. The pupils presented the residents with information they had gathered, resulting in laughter and a few happy tears.” Full story here.
- Citu/ Climate Innovation District in Leeds
As part of Phase 3 of Citu’s Climate Innovation District in Leeds, they have been approved to build a care home that will be surrounded by Eco homes, playground and school, which encourage intergenerational social interaction and community. Story here.
The UK’s first intergenerational nursery and care home. It’s a small pre-school with capacity for 80 children aged from three months to five years. They are based on the grounds of a care home and have set up around a large, green and secure garden setting. Children have daily interactions with older friends which are meaningful and mutually beneficial. Story here.
Intergenerational Opera is a music outreach programme running in East Sussex. It runs creative music workshops that bring together Primary School children and elderly people from the community, including those with Dementia. The project aims to use music to help both children and the elderly develop communication and boost confidence.
Generations Working Together (GWT) are the lead organisation for Global Intergenerational Week. Intergenerational Week will see individuals and organisations signing up to bring generations together in their communities during the week. GWT is the nationally recognised centre of excellence supporting the development and integration of intergenerational work across Scotland through training, supportive networks and the development and sharing of best practice.
Run by My Home Life the ‘become a care home friend’ is part of the Care Home Friends and Neighbours: Intergenerational Linking project – the biggest project with care homes in the UK. Become a care home friend is a 10-week challenge that offers schools a programme of activities which help children to foster understanding about older generations. It also raises awareness of care homes and builds community links. Story here.
This is an initiative by Embracing Age, where volunteers aged 16 upwards visit a care home resident and do fun activities, such as playing a game. Schools Liaison volunteers encourage schools to visit a local care home to build connection with their community and bring joy. Plus, on the Isle of Wight, they have organised a girls’ brigade of Brownies to make handmade cards for residents without family or friends.
Generations Together is a community led design project that brings children and older adults together. The project encourages both groups to collaboratively design and create three unique communal spaces that cater for both children and the elderly. The project is run by Elders Voice in partnership with LEAP London and Princess Frederica School.
This is an innovative project, run by the Citadel Youth Centre in Edinburgh, which mostly brings young and old people together online over Zoom. The project aims to support young people at risk of disengaging from school and to facilitate intergenerational activities to older people and present a record of their work to the wider community. The toolkit PDF is here.
Encouraging intergenerational practice through dance classes, Move and Groove empowers groups and individuals and promotes new intergenerational connections. The project is a result of the partnership between Youth Sport Trust and Intergenerational Music Making. More on it here.
Bridging Ages is a community company based in Sussex. They are committed to running projects that narrow the gap between generations and bring people together. Life Stories Project is supported by schools, churches and facilities for older people. It connects teenagers and older people by encouraging school pupils to meet an older person and interview them about their life history.
We’re letting off a virtual confetti canon for you!
We want to congratulate each project that has been awarded. We support and celebrate all you do to overcome Ageism and age segregation. There’s no doubt that each of these projects brings great joy to people and communities.
Together we’ll continue to promote the benefits of intergenerational friendships to individuals and society. Find out more about the impact of age segregation on society here. Want to learn more about GrandNanny? Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
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