East Sussex Intergenerational Activities Toolkit
What is Intergenerational Practice?
Intergenerational practice is an evidence-based approach to help people across generations come together, build connections and create a stronger community. There are various types of activities which support intergenerational practice such as arts and crafts, storytelling, physical activities, community gardening, and music and performing arts.
Benefits of Intergenerational Practice:
Intergenerational practice helps meaningful interactions through the sharing of skills, knowledge, and experiences. This exchange can help reduce stereotypes and foster mutual understanding and respect between different age groups.
One of the key advantages of intergenerational practice is that it can have a significant positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of participants. For older adults, it can reduce feelings of isolation and provide a sense of purpose. For younger participants, interactions can increase their confidence as they develop their interpersonal skills.
Intergenerational practice also has a great ability to promote community cohesion. When people across generations come together to participate in diverse activities they build strong connections and a sense of belonging. This interconnectedness can lead to more inclusive communities where everyone feels valued.
Intergenerational Video:
East Sussex County Council partnered with Rother Voluntary Action, Staplecross Open Space Community Project and Veterans Growth to facilitate an intergenerational cookery workshop between children, parents and grandparents. The activities facilitated fruitful engagements and created a sense of connection between families.
Take a look at our video below to find out more about the joyful day:
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Intergenerational toolkit
The Public Health team at East Sussex County Council collaborated with Young at Heart, a passionate Community Interest Organisation with a wealth of experience in intergenerational practice, to produce a toolkit to support organisations in delivering intergenerational programmes.
Intergenerational Toolkit [7.2 MB] [pdf]
The team also engaged with a wide range of organisations running intergenerational activities in East Sussex to maximise the toolkits relevance and effectiveness, ensuring it reflects diverse perspectives and best practices.