Developing an Intergenerational P roject

1. Developing an Intergenerational Project Yvonne Coull

2. Aims of the Day • What is intergenerational working? • Where do I start and how do I contact schools and groups? • What are the do's and don'ts? • Where do I get funding? • It benefits whom? • How do we publicise our work? • Practical considerations • Barriers

3. Introductions Turn to the person next to you and tell each other: Who you are Who you work for or your interest in IG work One interesting non work fact! Then change sides! – 5 Minutes only!!

4. Principles of Intergenerational Practice • Mutual & reciprocal Benefit • Participatory • Asset based • Well planned • Culturally grounded • Strengthens community bonds and promotes active citizenship • Challenges ageism • Cross-disciplinary Pinto et al.

5. Definition • Brings people together in purposeful, mutually beneficial activities • Promotes greater understanding and respect between generations • Builds more cohesive communities • Is inclusive • Builds on the positive resources that young and old have to offer each other and those around them Beth Johnson Foundation

6. What is a Generation?

7. What is an Intergenerational Project? • Young people being supported to learn about financial issues • Older volunteers teaching young children to be aware of environmental dangers • Younger volunteers helping people with dementia with memory stories from the past around for example: football; the town; music • Conflict resolution in the community, creating understanding between various groups in the community, community safety and respect; • Community arts projects to improve the local environment; • Younger volunteers teaching older people modern technology, text messaging, iphones, emailing and the internet.

8. Generations Working Together Case studies on web site under networks. www.generationsworkingtogether.org

9. Planning • Who are the participants? • What do we want to achieve? • Involve all the participants in the planning from day one! • Write down your aims and outcomes • Write down who is going to benefit

10. Activity • Allotment growing vegetables • School choir going into care home to sing at Christmas • School, young people teaching old folks group about smart phones • Fire service bringing young and old from the community together to stop small fires • Intergenerational kitchen older people teaching younger people to cook.

11. Do’s • Do think about the wider picture • Identify someone who is the lead • Do identify outcomes and identify shared priorities • Do prepare • Discuss fears, queries and worries • Do identify key contacts within partner organisations, carers or families. • Do plan • Do allow enough time • Do create some quiet time for adults and space for the young people to be active

12. Don’ts • Don’t ‘age’ segregate • Do not be overambitious • Don’t think of older people as just one homogenous group • Don’t forget that the needs of the younger old will be different from those of the older old • Don’t automatically assume everyone can attend all meetings • Don’t exclude minority groups • Don’t think disclosure is difficult and an obstacle

13. Benefiting Whom? • Document the activity and the aims and outcomes • What is your plan? Who is going to benefit and how? • Monitor and reflect on outcomes throughout the activity and how changes are occurring. • Obtain feedback from all involved. • Evaluate the project as a whole and draw out sustainable elements which can continue.

14. Where do I get funding? • Local Authority • BIG • Charity • Foundation Scotland • Comic Relief • Red Nose Day • Banks – Zurich Community Fund; Lloyds TSB Foundation; Santander; Baring Foundation • Funding Central • Europe Intergenerational Work and Learning

16. Evaluation • Beth Johnson Foundation • http://www.centreforip.org.uk/ • Evaluate Scotland • http://www.evaluationsupportscotland.org.uk/ • Joseph Rowntree Foundation • http://www.jrf.org.uk/system/files/1859354157.pdf

17. Promoting Your Project • Who are you going to tell? • What are you going to tell them?

18. Who are you going to tell? • Make a list of who you want to tell • What form of communication are you going to use? • Press Release/Posters/Radio • Local publications/local websites • Modern Social Media • Hold an event

19. What are you going to tell them? • Make 5 or 6 main points • Personal Stories/Case Studies • Words or pictures? • Remember – planning and organising help!!

20. Practical considerations • Bringing the groups together • Clarifying the purposes and aims of the work • Inclusion • Provide opportunities for questions and concerns to be addressed • Resources • Disclosure

21. Bringing Groups Together • Groups may benefit from meeting separately before meeting together • First meeting together needs to be planned carefully • This process has implications for timescales, venues and activities

22. Practical Considerations • Time • Child care  • School times and terms • Daylight hours  • Costs and transport for members • Language differences

23. Barriers • Participants may feel that it’s not for them   • Jargon, difficulties understanding key concepts, such as ‘intergenerational’ and ‘intergenerational practice’  • Prejudice and mistrust • Local dynamics/history • Negativity e.g.. the fear of what people think of individuals/groups • Fatigue – feeling that things will never change

24. Benefits • It can encourage inclusion and involvement, reduce prejudice and help build social capital and cohesion • It can be a powerful community engagement tool • It can be about how services are delivered in a more effective way