At InCommon, we’ve seen first hand how beneficial intergenerational connections are to building more age friendly communities and combating ageist attitudes.
In March 2020, the Centre for Ageing Better found that 1 in 3 people within the UK experience age prejudice or age discrimination. Common ageist narratives of older people consuming too many of society’s resources were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Leading newspapers remarked on how the pandemic could have a positive impact in ‘culling elderly dependents’ whilst ‘boomer remover’ became a viral meme on social media sites. Meanwhile, care homes and housebound older people were amongst the most vulnerable facing the highest restriction levels.
Despite the rise in ageist narratives, the start of the pandemic also saw communities connecting like never before. The rise in mutual aid groups and local support networks meant caring for vulnerable people, such as older neighbours, was prioritised. We saw greater intergenerational connection, solidarity and the strengthening of existing bonds to ensure no one was left behind.
Research shows that intergenerational connection has a powerful impact on our communities. In a report by United for all Ages, it was found that divided communities negatively impact on the health and wellbeing of both older and younger generations. Greater connection builds trust and reduces social isolation, creates stronger community ties and decreases the likelihood of mental and physical health challenges.
At InCommon, we’ve seen the power of intergenerational connection and solidarity to bring local communities together. Through our two main programmes, Connect and Social Action, we connect groups of young people with their older neighbours in retirement homes to learn and form friendships together. Our mission is to build inclusive, connected and age-friendly communities. We combat ageism through connection.
Intergenerational relationships work best when they are mutually beneficial. Through our programmes, older people volunteer their time to support young people; contributing to the development of younger generations gives them a sense of purpose. Young people benefit from the time, attention and experience of older volunteers, which helps boost confidence and social and emotional learning.
These meaningful relationships are not only beneficial at an individual level - they help to counter the prejudice and negative age stereotypes that infect our public discourse. Negative ideas about ageing start to develop from as young as 6 years old, however, through cross generational friendship and learning we can help to break this cycle.
After two years of remote delivery, including zoom calls, letter exchanges and writing an intergenerational storybook, we’re transitioning back to our in-person workshops. So far, we’ve been leading outdoor nature-based sessions, including some intergenerational gardening. We’re incredibly excited to bring generations together again in the most impactful way we can.
We have only just scratched the surface of how beneficial intergenerational connection can be to tackle ageism amongst other pressing social issues. As an organisation, we are continuing to grow our impact by reaching more people in more areas through our programmes, and exploring new ways of connecting young and old. We hope the radical care and intergenerational solidarity that we saw during the pandemic will continue to grow to help us unite across age lines and pave the way for a better future together.