National Intergenerational Week 2020 – March 23 – March 29 

2020 is the first year of National Intergenerational Week, a campaign launched by St Monica Trust in collaboration with over 100 charities across the UK. Sadly, charities had to cancel events in honour of this week to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That will not stop us from celebrating intergenerational connections!

The Story Behind National Intergenerational Week

We live in a fast-paced society and the relationship dynamics between generations have changed considerably. In the UK only one in five children spend time with their older relatives according to The Wiser Collective. People of all ages report an increase in feelings of loneliness which often leads to mental and physical health issues. A simple way to solve this is to create stronger bonds between generations. Volunteering with charities that aim to bridge the generational divide is one way to engage with this or simply committing to visit or call an elderly relative or neighbour regularly helps.  Children, young people, adults and seniors can learn important life skills from each other and together form a healthier society.

Finding ways to bring everyone together 

Organisations around the UK are finding creative ways to bring people of different ages together. The Together Project launched #somethingtocreateasmile, where people can share videos/pictures of their children singing their favourite song, pulling a funny face or telling a joke. The videos/pictures will be sent to local care homes to remind the residents that we are thinking of them. The Wiser Collection wants to do something about the digital skill gap. They call on everyone to share some simple resources with an older relative, neighbour or friend that will help them order groceries online or connect with their loved ones. If you have not called your grandparents in a while, why not take today to make that call? 

Download our Philanthropy Calendar and plan your year around doing (and being!) good.