Robin, one of our older volunteers, tells us about his experience of taking part in InCommon’s intergenerational programmes.

“I was excited by the thought of meeting the children through InCommon. I thought it would be nice to have more contact with kids, because I don’t really, but I think I have quite a lot to offer them. I also thought it would be quite interesting in helping me to look back on some of the times in my childhood. 

For me, it was really interesting to compare our daily lives as children. Thinking – how did we get to school when we were younger? What did we eat? What were the teachers like? What did we learn? And then seeing how that’s changed for the children today. I’ve taught them a couple of things - like the ways we used to communicate. I remember telling them that when I was in the jungle with the army, I would set up an aerial to speak to my mum - I drew a diagram to show how it worked. Now, you can just stand there with an iPhone and FaceTime. 

The other thing I’ve liked is that the project has encouraged more contact between residents. It’s encouraged them to come out and meet each other, as well as meeting the children.

After the calls and the workshops, there’s a sense of achievement - like you’ve just done something good, valuable and worthwhile, you know? And a sense of gratitude that I could be part of something like that. I’ve enjoyed it; it’s something I’ve never done before.”