Australia

Lead Contact for Australia: Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice & Generations Connect NZ

The Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice Limited (AIIP), is a charity founded by Emeritus Professor Anneke Fitzgerald in 2021. Anneke is a leading researcher in Australia in intergenerational practice and was involved in the pre and post-production of the well loved ABC television series “Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds”. 

The overall purpose of the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice is to re-connect communities through the development, implementation and evaluation of intergenerational programs. Their long-term vision is for intergenerational interactions and programs to be a normal part of our everyday life in both formal and informal settings.

Generations Connect New Zealand (NZ) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering intergenerational connections. Established in 2023 by Karen Verney, a passionate primary school teacher, the organisation was inspired by the success of programs like the "Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds." Karen appreciated the value and significance of bringing different generations together, recognising that such interactions not only enrich individual lives but also contribute to the collective strength and resilience of communities.

At Generations Connect NZ, our mission is simple: to promote, create, and support intergenerational connections within communities across New Zealand. Through our efforts, we aim to encourage the adoption of intergenerational practices nationwide, fostering a society where diverse generations come together in mutual understanding and appreciation, to learn, share, and grow together through the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

We are thrilled to have the support of AIIP for this year's Global Intergenerational Week, and we eagerly anticipate assuming a leadership role independently next year.

Key contact:

AIIP: Xanthe Golenko

Generations Connect NZ: Karen Verney

Pre-GIW Events

Saturday 20th April: Comlink Australia & Edge Early Learning are hosting a Community Event in Caboolture.

More info

Monday 22nd April: Light Up in PINK for Global Intergenerational Week

Brisbane City Council will light up in pink: Story Bridge, Victoria Bridge, Reddacliff Place Sculptures, Story Bridge, Wickham Terrace Car Park architectural wall and the Breakfast Creek Bridge, Newstead.

GIW24

Day 1: 24/04

Virtual YMCA Dance - 12:30pm (AEST)

We are inviting individuals and groups from schools, pre-schools, kindergartens, out of school ours care, youth groups, aged care providers, services and community groups to join us in this exciting event to create awareness about intergenerational practice and bring people together.

This event is a collaboration between AIIP (Australia), Generations Connect (New Zealand) and Mighty Oaks (Hong Kong)

Links to demonstration videos and registration details to come.

Generations Connect Fun Day (Tasmania) - 10:00 - 13:00pm (AEST)

This event, with thanks to funding from the Mental Health Council of Tasmania is organised in collaboration with Respect Aged Care and COTA (Council On The Ageing) Tasmania, coincides with Global Intergenerational Week.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre.

This FREE event is open to anyone to attend, from all ages and walks of life.

Activities include: face painting, henna tattoos, Slipstream Circus, photo booth, singing, drumming, cooking, jewellery making, arts and crafts, woodworking and seedling planting just to name a few. There will also be a number of organisations attending and running some more fun activities.

We will have food available for you to purchase including a taco food truck, sausage sizzle, ice cream van and coffee van.

For further information please contact Mel Knuckey on 0407 512 315 or email Generations Connect

Day 6 - 29/04 

Global Intergenerational Week Expert Panel Discussion and Q&A: Shifting intergenerational practice from "nice" to “essential"

As part of Global Intergenerational Week 2024, the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice (AIIP), in collaboration with GenLab Collective (Singapore); Generations Connect (New Zealand) and Mighty Oaks (Hong Kong), will be hosting an online expert panel discussion and Q&A. 

This event will include presentations from our invited speaker, Dr Marlane Krasovitsky from the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts from our four host countries, followed by a facilitated panel discussion and an interactive Q&A. 

Attendees will hear about the importance of intergenerational practice as a proven strategy to combat ageism from a global perspective, and highlights from the latest WHO publication Connecting Generations. They will also hear about intergenerational practice initiatives within countries from the Asia-Pacific region and strategies to embed intergenerational practice within care and education settings, and the broader community will be discussed. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and join the conversation around advancing the intergenerational practice agenda.

Register here

And more TBC! Keep an eye on this page to see our other plans.