Working closely with families and communities is an important part of early childhood education. Therefore, intergenerational learning would seem to be a natural ‘fit’ for early years services, something that struck Bernie Pentony, an early year’s educator in Ireland.
After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Škola dokorán – Wide Open School in cooperation with UNICEF and ICDI launched six new Play and Learning Hubs in Slovakia. Spread across Slovakia in Košice, Prešov, Žilina, Poprad, Spišská Nová Ves and Tatranská Lomnica, their goal is to connect Ukrainian and Slovak children and enhance inclusion among them.
Ever thought about intergenerational cricket? This is the latest initiative of Fingal County Council in North County Dublin, Ireland. Read more about how it came about in this blog by Cathrina Murphy, Senior Community Officer.
How can creative workshops involving lots of play and physical contact between young and old be reimagined for COVID times? This is exactly what PER TERRA IL CIELO (the sky on earth), an intergenerational theatre workshop project in the North of Italy, has achieved over the past 6 months. The theatre workshop is the creation of actor Anna Fascendini.
“Showing affection and closeness between different generations thanks to a daily radio programme has been one of the most comforting and rewarding experiences of my professional life”. These are the words of Pablo Ortiz, a Language and Literature teacher at the “Padre Manjón” School, who has been an active participant in the “Radio Fuerza” [Force Radio] intergenerational initiative. This is one of many examples of IG actions which are counteracting the negative effects that COVID-19 has had in Spain. Read more in this blog written by Ángel Barragán and Ignacio Chato.