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This session provides a brief overview of intergenerational working, including group ground rules and aims of the session. It also offers top tips and practical guidelines for successful intergenerational projects.
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Suggested Group Ground Rules • When someone is speaking we will all listen. • We will each try not to talk for too long. • We will make space for quiet and shy people to speak. • We will all turn off our mobile phones during the session, unless “on emergency call”. • We will acknowledge and respect differences, of background and life experiences. • We will question ideas, not challenge the person. • We will all try to be sensitive in our language and behaviour to race, culture, gender, sexual orientation and beliefs and also to hearing loss, sight loss and other disabilities. • What happens in the group today is confidential to group members, unless the group decides otherwise.
Aims of the Session • To define what we mean by IG working and to examine why we are doing it. • Consider good practice in running successful & safe projects. • To practice IG project planning. • To define what each of us would like to try to do.
What is intergenerational work? A definition: “Intergenerational initiatives are projects, activities, events or environments where people of different ages mix, and particularly where older and younger people who might not otherwise meet each other are encouraged to meet and do things together in positive and creative ways. Intergenerational working can include any activities which ignore or remove barriers – social, architectural, cultural or institutional – and which work to make spaces so that older and younger people can meet, get to know each other and share creative activities.”
Top tips 1. Start from what you already do What do you do which could be opened out to a wider age range? Because you already do it, you have the expertise to run it and maybe even the funding already in place. 2. Look for partners Intergenerational work almost always involves partnership working - Team up with other like-minded local organisations, plan activities together and pool resources.
Top tips 3. An equal partnership and two-way exchange Important that the young and older people meet as equals rather than as the ”helper” and the “helped”. 4. Be prepared, keep safe Read Camden Council’s baseline ‘Good Practice Guidelines’ for safe and constructive intergenerational work: www.camden.gov.uk/intergenerational
Good Practice Guidelines www.camden.gov.uk/intergenerational Practical guidelines to help you to plan your intergenerational programme, considering: Place, time, safeguarding, staffing ratios, preparation of groups, welcoming & seating people, project planning, health and safety, risk assessment, loss and bereavement, nutrition and behaviour, confidentiality, working with dementia, evaluation.
Recommended minimum staffing ratios for supervision of children & young people involved in intergenerational activities • 1 adult for every 6 pupils in school years 1 to 3 (age 5 to 8) • 1 adult for every 10 to 15 pupils in school years 4 to 6 (age 8 to 11) • 1 adult for every 15 to 20 pupils in school year 7 onwards (age 12+) • Under 5’s should have a higher ratio of supervisors: 1:3 or 1:4 • There should never be less than two experienced staff present.
Top tips 5. Process not product Our focus is on bringing people together to get to know each other. If they produce something, that is good, but the success of the work should not be judged on the ‘product’. 6. Be clear who you are aiming to work with and why Will you focus on older and young people only? What is old? What is young? Should you try to include people of middle years too?
Top tips 7. A wider philosophy of age-inclusion It’s more than just a series of sessions 8. Keep trying different ideas and approaches Participative activities are a great vehicle for building empathy and understanding. Look on the net and talk to other peopleto get new ideas for activities and projects. If it doesn’t work, try something else!
Top tips 9. Sustainability A low cost project is more sustainable and cost does not generally correlate with success in terms of building strong intergenerational relationships. Team up with partner organisations located near to you. 10. Get networked It can be hard doing this work on your own. Join networks such as the London Intergenerational Network. Collaborate. Link up and share learning with colleagues trying to do similar work.
Make four lists: 1) What interests or skills do you have which could be used? 2) What activities do you currently do? 3) What organisations nearby might you partner with? 4) What resources could you use? eg. Transport, library books, art materials…
Get networked! London Intergenerational Network Facebook page - www.facebook.com/londonintergenerationalnetwork European Map of Intergenerational Learning - www.emil-network.eu
Please fill in the evaluation forms.Don’t forget to turn your phone back on.Thank you for taking part.Good luck! Do keep in touch with each other and with me._____________vanda.carter@virginmedia.com That’s all folks!
