GoodLinks Intergenerational Club
Overview:
As the lead organisation, GoodLinks’ priorities are to connect high school students with older adults with the intent of forming long-term relationships and participants gaining new perspectives about other generations. This program does exactly that and the relationships that are formed sometimes continue beyond the program. Twice a month from November until end of May, high school students and older adults from a local community in Alberta Canada, meet together, share food and activities and develop relationships with each other.
The clubs vary slightly according to each community setup. Students hear about the club at their high school and are invited to attend an information session during a lunch hour in which they hear details about the club and can apply to join if interested. Older adults are recruited through the community centre where the club sessions are held. The community centre promote the club through their newsletter, local churches and word of mouth.
Purpose/Objectives:
The project aimed to:
For older participants: introduce them to the younger generation and form relationships with them. By hearing different perspectives through discussions and activities, their lives are enriched. By participating in the club, ageist and racist concepts are challenged, since many of the students are from various cultural backgrounds. The club combats stereotypes. Older adults find a place to belong, to be heard and seen, reducing loneliness and isolation. Their sense of purpose is renewed.
For younger people: provide them with an opportunity to spend time with older adults, especially since many of the students do not have grandparents in the same city. They learn about older adults’ perspectives on life in general and how the older adults grew up compared to how they are growing up now. Ageism and stereotypes are challenged. Young people also learn how to communicate face to face and have ‘real’ conversations. They learn empathy, respect, thoughtfulness, kindness and manners.
The participants:
Who were they: High school students; grades 10, 11 and 12. Older adults living independently in the community.
How many took part: 28 students and 12 older adults
What were the age ranges: Students’ ages ranged from 15 to18. Older adults ranged from 60 to 92.
Leadership team: At the information sessions students are invited to apply to be on the leadership team and four students are chosen to be leaders. The leadership team consists of two grade 11 students and two grade 12 students. Each year, as the grade 12 students graduate, the grade 11 students move onto grade 12 and remain on the team. Two new grade 11 students are recruited. This way, the new leaders are mentored by the other two. Two teachers at the school support the leaders as they plan activities and details of the club sessions.
The GoodLinks coordinator supports the leadership team by providing a half-day training before the club sessions begin. She is at each session and has debrief meeting with the leaders and the teachers after each session.
What are the benefits for older people?
Here are some comments from the older adults when asked how they benefited:
- It’s an opportunity to get out, not too late in the day.
- Socialization o Learning from the younger generation
- I like meeting new people: students and seniors
- I am more open to speak to young people.
- I have a greater understanding of the younger generations.
- It’s made me more open-minded.
- Willingness increasing to hear many other opinions and experiences.
- This has confirmed my belief that the younger generation are smarter and the future is in good hands.
- I feel seen.
What are the benefits for the younger people?
Comments from the students when asked how they benefited:
- Understanding their (older adults) lives
- Talking to each other
- Talking with older adults helps me in terms of speech
- My social and communication skills improved
- It was a great way to have some fun after school
- It widens my perspective o I’ve come out of my shell
- Gained new perspectives about the other generation
- I feel a little less lonely every time I socialize
- Advice from our senior friends
What were the benefits for the wider community?
This one is difficult to measure, since community centres are often used but don’t necessarily involve the greater community. During the recruitment stage, we reach out for participants, but once the club sessions began, other people rarely join except for those directly invited by participants.
Activities/Events:
The club meets every Monday after school during November and December. At the end of December, we poll the participants to ask if they wanted to continue meeting weekly, or if they wanted to switch to every two weeks. This varies for each group. Sessions are usually one hour in length.
A variety of activities are planned throughout the year. The GoodLinks coordinator facilitates the activities for the first two months while the leaders learn how to be hosts and interact with the participants. Without this modelling the leaders tended to focus on activities and not the participants. After the first two months the student leaders plan them rest of the sessions themselves.
Activities include: board games, Uno, making friendship bracelets, creating towers with raw spaghetti and marshmallows, making paper airplanes and having a flying contest, activities about ageism and intergenerational relationships, cookie decorating at Christmas, and ‘career day’ where each of the older adults talked about their career journeys.
At each session when the participants arrive, each table has a sheet of conversation starters to go along with the theme and encourage conversation between the participants. At the end of each session the participants are asked to give feedback regarding the activity and find out about the activity planned for the next session.
Evaluation:
- Participants are asked to complete a pre and post survey. In the post survey, they were asked questions about how they benefited, the highlights and what could be improved. The GoodLinks coordinator then meets with the leadership team and the teachers to discuss the feedback from the participants and give their own feedback.
- What will be done differently in the future? Participants feedback shapes future activities. For example, suggestions for more activities focusing on conversation. Alternatively, due to one of the older adults getting hurt in an active activity, activities were planned where the participants remained seated. The teachers have weekly meetings with the leadership team to support and advise.
Funding:
This program runs with minimal expense. The community centre donates the space for us to meet. Students walk from the school to the community centre. Older adults live independently and provide their own transportation. If any supplies are needed for the activities, the school has a fund to purchase those. GoodLinks provides the snacks for the sessions, but sometimes the participants are asked to bring some, especially if the activity is theme based.
Sustainability:
This particular project shown in the photograph, has continued since 2022, for the last four years, and plans are in place for this next school year.