We’ve just released the first issue of The Senior Press - a magazine made by older people for their younger neighbours. You can read an online version of it here - here’s how the idea came about…
During the pandemic, we compiled two issues of The Children’s Press - a magazine created by children for older people in their local communities. These magazines were designed to bring a smile to older people’s faces at a time when in person contact between generations wasn’t always possible.
A few months ago, I was on an intergenerational call with an older person called Brian and three local schoolchildren. When Brian explained that he started his first job at the age of 15, the children were surprised. They had lots of questions for Brian - what was the job? Was it hard work? Did he like it?
After the call, Brian said that the children’s reactions made him think that we ought to compile another magazine - but this time, it would be made by older people for children. It would contain older people’s memories and experiences, giving children more insight into what life was like in the recent past, and what it’s like to grow older.
Here at InCommon, we thought it was a great idea. So we reached out to older people at the retirement homes that we work with and asked for contributions. We were delighted by the response. Our contributors told us about their favourite memories, like collecting fresh eggs from chickens, dancing calypso with a steel band, and being a telegram boy in the 1940s. They also offered advice to future generations: be kind, try new things, look after mum and dad! Some contributors drew self-portraits, and Brian created a wordsearch containing 13 things which weren’t in existence when he was 8-years-old (including Coco Pops & WhatsApp!).
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be distributing the magazine to the children we work with. We hope that they’ll enjoy reading about the lives of the older people in their communities, and we hope the older people who contributed to the magazine will enjoy seeing their words, memories and drawings in print.