“This project is an opportunity for us older people to see the future grow in front of our eyes. These youth are the seeds. We elders are just helping with a bit of watering.”
This week, as our local Schools go back after the Easter break, we are celebrating Global Intergenerational Week. We want to enjoy with communities around the world the particular joys and fresh creative energy that grow when younger and older generations join forces.
This Global Intergenerational Week, we are keen to invite newcomers to try ‘intergenerational’ for the first time, so we’re reflecting on the variety of partnerships that come under that umbrella term of ‘intergenerational’. We’re also shining a light on Magic Me projects happening this summer term.
So first things first – who is your partner generation? If you are a group of older people meeting or living together, how might you partner up with toddlers, or teenagers, or maybe young adult university students? If you are a youth group, would you invite individual older neighbours to join you, or make a visit to a sheltered housing community?
Your choice may be shaped by geography and who is nearby – or the kind of activity you have in mind. Magic Me is based in east London, one of the most densely populated parts of the country. This term, our work will connect with a real variety of people in just a few square miles.
It’s On The Cards teams up primary school pupils and local adults to research how people of different ages feel about Birthdays and marking their age. Working with Sue Mayo and Skye Baker, participants will create a group artwork for exhibition in central London in 2026. Watch this space for details!
The Mulberry Trust Project brings together older women and students from two secondary schools for girls. With filmmaker Chuck Lowry and poet Laila Sumpton, participants will be creating a new film exploring inspirational women of east London, to be premiered to an international audience at the Global Girl Leading Conference Autumn 2025.
Creative Mix is our regular creative get-together for Health & Social Care students at the local College, our older neighbours, and artists Ruan Murphy and Arji Manuelpillai. Monthly sessions will culminate in a public exhibition of artworks in June 2025, on the theme of ‘Belonging’.
For over 35 years we’ve been developing our intergenerational arts practice, and we believe the arts are a particularly special and exciting way to bring generations together. Plans for the future include exploring intergenerational possibilities with our local LGBTQ+ communities.
We also recognise the limits of intergenerational work and devise alternatives for when visits from school pupils would not be appropriate. Spark enables and supports care home staff to offer to residents sensory arts experiences – colour, light and texture. This approach means we can include residents who are always in bed or are nearing the end of their lives.
We’re looking forward to exploring what others are up to through the activities on offer this week. Hope to see you there!
And do get in touch if you are interested in finding out more about finding your partner generation, or supporting Magic Me’s new programmes this year.
Blog by our Director, Susan Langford – April 2025