Connect is our flagship intergenerational programme connecting primary age children with their older neighbours in retirement homes.
Connect programmes last a year and involve taking part in workshops and other activities, and creating beautiful projects together across the generations. All the activities help to build children's social and emotional learning and help older people stay connected to their communities in later life.
Our Connect programmes are all about bridging divides and building a sense of community across generations - all our partner schools and retirement homes are walking distance from each other.
We currently run 10 Connect programmes across Greater London. Find out more about our Connect activities here and in our latest impact report.
How it works
Connect brings primary school children into retirement homes to take part in creative, educational activities over the course of a school year.
Each programme aims to build meaningful intergenerational friendships. We work with a group of older people from a retirement home, and a primary school class from a nearby school.
Connect is based on three key components: purpose, learning and connection.
PURPOSE
At every stage in life, taking part in purposeful activity contributes positively to wellbeing and increases an individual’s self-efficacy. However, this need is often completely forgotten when it comes to older people, even in a society where retirement can often last 30 or more years.
On our programme older people make a genuine contribution to children’s learning and recover this valuable sense of purpose and self-confidence.
LEARNING
Our immersive, educational experiences offer something a bit out of the ordinary for schools and retirement homes.
By bringing children into a new environment, getting them to talk to different people, and work collaboratively on team projects during the year long programme, we challenge them to go outside their comfort zone and learn in new ways. Our programme helps children meet key PSHE learning objectives, understanding more about the wider world and their place within it, as well as developing empathy and confidence.
CONNECTION
Our programme runs in retirement homes and brings in pupils from local primary schools.
Taking part in a fun and high-intensity activity forges new friendships and connections within the group. These community connections often last beyond the programme and develop into regular contact.