Intergenerational Projects

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames purposefully brings together older and younger generations to promote greater understanding between them.

We encourage older people to play an active part in the lives of children in the Borough. Older people have skills, talents, knowledge and experience which, with appropriate opportunity, can be valued by the young.

June 2008

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames has received the Approved Provider Status(APS) for organisations providing intergenerational projects from the Centre for Intergenerational Practice.

Click here for more information.

The Queen's Award for Age Concern Kingston's work with schools - Valuable work recognised by the Queen

Age Concern Kingston's Age & Youth School-Based Project has been honoured with The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service 2007.

The Award, presented in September by the Deputy Lieutenant of the Royal Borough of Kingston, Colonel Geoffrey Godbold, OBE, TD, DL, recognises excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. AC Kingston was one of only seven groups in London recognised with this prestigious award.

Project Coordinator, Sheila Gent, surrounded by volunteers and children involved in the project, is presented with the Award by Colonel Geoffrey Goldbold. The Mayor, Shiraz Mirza is on her left and Chief Executive of ACKuT, Shane Brennan to the right of Colonel Goldbold.

Now in its sixth year of operation, Age Concern Kingston's Age & Youth project enables older people to volunteer their skills, talents, knowledge and experience in order to support primary school children with their learning and the children to benefit from the expertise and positive role models provided by the older volunteers.

The project, which substantially involves The Mount Primary School; Knollmead Primary School ; Tolworth Junior School and King Athelstan Primary School, also involves Learning Mentors, who provide invaluable help to children, prior and post their move to secondary school.

Mrs Diane Campbell, Headteacher of The Mount Primary School, nominated Age Concern Kingston's exceptional project for The Queen's Award and the Minister for the Third Sector gave his recommendation.

Mrs Campbell, speaking at the presentation ceremony, spoke of the value the school placed on the project. She said that the children involved had improved in learning, attendance and confidence.

Sheila Gent, Coordinator of the project since its inception, said that it was a powerful recognition of the enormous contribution older volunteers could make towards children's well-being and progress.

The volunteers were always fully committed and reliable and, in return, gained much satisfaction from working with the children. Concern for all ages was at the heart of Age Concern Kingston's work, she said, and through its intergenerational work, the true meaning of this philosophy was clearly demonstrated.

To find out more about volunteering contact us.

To read the special Queen's Award issue of Agenda click here.

To find out more about the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service visit the official website http://www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk

Age Concern Kingston's Chief Executive profiles ground-breaking intergenerational work

Shane Brennan , Chief Executive of AC Kingston, gave the keynote address at the Centre for Intergenerational Practice's third major Conference at the University of Manchester on 19th July 2007. He spoke about AC Kingston's ground-breaking and award-winning intergenerational work with schools.

The theme of the address, ‘Making a Difference – Age Concern Kingston upon Thames' Approach to Intergenerational Practice', included many examples of the organisation's intergenerational activities since its formation in 1999. Particular reference was made to the powerful contribution older volunteers make towards children's well-being and progress via its Age & Youth school-based project and Learning Mentor Project.

Shane Brennan's invitation to deliver the key note speech at the conference, following the recent announcement that HM The Queen had recognised the excellence in voluntary activities carried out by this group of AC Kingston volunteers with her prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 2007 , underlined the quality, effectiveness and long-term value of this work.

'Across the Divide – The role of intergenerational practice in building better cross generational understanding' was the theme of this high profile conference, which featured a number of international projects and presentations. The Centre for Intergenerational Practice was formally established in 2001 by the world-renowned Beth Johnson Foundation – an organisation committed to promoting innovative and developmental work that will influence and challenge the role and status of older people in society today.

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames was asked to explain the benefits of Intergenerational work to a joint meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Ageing and on Children, on 18 October 2006, at the House of Lords.

A short briefing paper was distributed, available here.

Sheila Gent's presentation is available here.

Just published

May 2008

Review of Literature on Intergenerational Practice

Click here to read

Some of our intergenerational projects include:

An Age and Youth school based project at primary level

This enables older people to support young people's learning. Volunteers, both older men and women, regularly visit several local primary schools, where they work with individual children or small groups to offer practical support in literacy, numeracy and science lessons.

Age and Youth Partnerships

For example, a group of primary school children visited our day centre in New Malden to learn skills in craftwork (knitting, crochet, sewing) from older people who attend the centre. An 85 year-old lady commented on the opportunity the partnerships gave her,

"It's lovely being able to pass on the skills of a lifetime to young people."


Intergenerational Discussion Groups

Older people and sixth-formers from secondary schools in the Borough engage in well-informed and articulate debate on serious issues of concern to both age groups.

Community Concern

A long standing project at Surbiton High School in partnership with Age Concern Kingston has over fifty pupils visiting and supporting older people in the Borough. The project also includes a 'Friendship Hour' when older people from the area meet with fifth and sixth-formers and exchange life experiences over a cup of tea.

You can read more about these projects in a detailed report by clicking here.

Intergenerational Healthy Eating Lunches

Our newest project is a series of popular and successful healthy eating seminar lunches at our Bradbury Centre in Kingston. The aim of the project is to bring together pupils from secondary schools and older adult volunteers from the local community, in order that both age groups might enjoy a healthy lunch, that is preceded by a short seminar exploring the benefits of healthy eating and good nutrition. The lifetime experiences and knowledge of the volunteers is proving invaluable in enhancing the children's enjoyment and the socialisation and mutual understanding between the generations is impressive. Read more.