ENYP has been working in partnership with Age UK Norwich and The Norwich Living History Group to create ‘Bridging the Gap’ – an intergenerational reminiscence group.

 

The project has been running successfully for almost a year, continuing to grow at Heartsease Primary School and is a fantastic way for young people from the school and older people from the community to share memories, reminisce, learn new skills, improve communication and self-esteem, build relationships and also ‘bridge the gap’ between the generations.

 

One young person and one older person are paired up and over the weeks get to know each other better as they share about their lives and memories and engage in craft, singing, writing and miming activities together. Sessions cover various themes and some past topics have included fashion, memory boxes, favourite pastimes and memories of the home, using multisensory triggers to aid memory and conversation.

 

Trips out have also been arranged for the group, including a visit to Norwich Castle for a tour round the Castle keep and medieval interactive workshop.  Ellie Payne, ENYP Youth Worker says, “I find this project really exciting. It’s great to hear feedback from older participants who now recognise the young people they meet down the shop due to being part of the group. For me, this shows that bringing together different generations in this way can make a positive impact in our community.”

 

Since starting the project a wider group of people from the community have shown an interest in taking part. In order to facilitate more models of the project, training sessions have been made available to enable others to be confident group leaders.  

 

Plans are also underway to include the sessions within the school curriculum, as many of the topics covered in the group complement teaching material and prove to be a great alternative style for learning. 

 

Christina Kenna, Headteacher of Heartsease Primary, says, “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project. It literally bridges the generations as children and older members of the community gain a better understanding of each others' lives, culture and interests.