With a new term of workshops underway, we’re reflecting on a brilliant couple of months bringing generations together across London. So far this year children and their older neighbours have been connecting through shared stories, art, and - of course - plenty of fun and games.
Show and Tell in Greenwich
To kick off the new year, we brought together younger and older neighbours in Greenwich for a show and tell workshop. Children from St Alfege Church Primary School and residents from Trinity Hospital brought in objects from home to share with each other.
One resident from Trinity Hospital went above and beyond, bringing in a mystery bag that contained clues to her past! The children were amazed - and slightly perplexed - to find the bag filled with soil and potatoes. Quizzed by the children, the resident explained that she had grown up in Ireland and loved the ‘Potato Holidays’, which was a time when all the children would take time off to harvest potatoes on the family farm.
After this session, the same resident commented: “These stories would never be shared otherwise - it’s really important.”
Community Mapping in Tower Hamlets
At Sonali Gardens Day Centre in Tower Hamlets, children from St Mary and St Michael Catholic Primary School and their older neighbours had the exciting opportunity to work with an artist. Frank Creber is working on a project that will bring a mural to life on a nearby street, in consultation with local community groups.
A group at Sonali Gardens creating postcards to add to the community map.
Over two sessions, the group thought about how they were connected to their local community and built a map to represent this. On postcards, everyone drew places locally that were meaningful to them which included the park, the children’s school, the fruit and vegetable market - even Wimpy! These postcards were then stuck onto the community map and will feed into the final mural design.
The community map coming to life at Sonali Gardens.
Qigong in Tower Hamlets
To get everyone moving, our intergenerational group at the Sundial Centre in Tower Hamlets had the opportunity to try out Qigong - an ancient Chinese practice which combines breathing and movement to improve health and wellbeing.
With help from Marco, the Qigong instructor, the group were led through a meditative sequence, with slow flowing movements and breathing exercises. Both the children and their older neighbours were surprised at how much of a workout Qigong turned out to be.
Life River Game in Lambeth
We played our Life Rivers game in more locations across London this term. Children from Walnut Tree Walk worked together with their older neighbours at Rupert House in Lambeth, asking each other questions so they could move their boat along the river. Through the questions, the group learnt a lot about one another including their favourite books, what makes a good friend and their hopes for the future. One of the children made her group laugh as she explained that she had once been scared of cheese (but now loves it!).
A group at Rupert House writing down their answers in the Life River Game - ready to share back with everyone what they had found out!
Want to hear more about our intergenerational workshops and how to get involved? Visit our Partner With Us page or sign up to our newsletter.
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