Place: Rūjiena, Valmiera Municipality
Timeframe: June 13 – October 7 2024
Organiser: association “Ascendum”
Participants: teen and senior aged groups in Rūjiena
Goal:
1. encourage intergenerational activities and exchange
2. promoting intergenerational dialogue
3. reducing prejudices between young people and seniors
WHAT IS IT?
Between June 13 and October 7 2024, the association “Ascendum” implemented a series of intergenerational activities between teen and senior aged groups in Rūjiena, Valmiera region, within the project “Rūjiena – Cultural Pearl of the Baltic Sea Region 2024”.
The project was implemented in two stages: Research and preparation phase
This phase was essential to:
● Identify the needs of the target groups;
● Strengthen relations with members of target groups;
● Create a stable core of participants in both target groups;
● A phase of project activities would be prepared.
The primary research method used was conducting a series of discussions with each group separately. Initially, the association planned to work with youth activists from the local youth center, however, during the initial stages of research, significant difficulties arose due to the schedule of the youth target group (summer camps, jobs, traveling etc.). Thus it was decided to cooperate with 7th grade students of Rūjiena Secondary School. Participation in the project was voluntary and in several cases took place during the school day. The choice to focus on 7th grade students was strategic – a lot of students leave the town to enroll in high-school in bigger cities. The students of the 7th grade will very likely stay in
Rūjiena for another couple of years hencethere’s a greater potential to continue this or a similar intergenerational activity project with them until they leave the city. In total, three introductory visits to Rūjiena were organized during the research phase, during which discussions were held with both target groups. During these meetings we focused on the preconceived notions of both groups regarding one another, as well as identifying the common interests and ideas of co-created activities. Project activity implementation phase: Six co-creation workshops/masterclasses were organized in this phase, spanning 4 weeks: September 16, 19, 23, 26, 30 and October 7.
For the first two weeks, the workshops were organized twice a week in order to hold the interest of the participants and to promote the creation of mutual connections between youth and seniors. The activities were organized on the school grounds, closed to the public. This approach was chosen because at the starting point of the relationship between the target groups, public exposure would put a strain on the contact building taking place. The close circle environment was beneficial for the feeling of a safe-space that encouraged the formation of more informal, friendly and authentic bonds.
Six co-creation workshops/masterclases were organized during the project, including:
● Co-cooking activity as an introductory activity for both target groups;
● Creative writing workshop led by Latvian poet Roberts Vilsons;
● Creative movement workshop led by choreographer Anta Grīnvalde;
● Creative illustration workshop led by artist Rebeka Lukošus;
● Erudition game competitions in teams, conversation oriented gamesand discussion clubs.
We chose the strategy of offering a different model of co-creation for each meeting in order to illustrate to the participants that the opportunities for cooperation don’t have to fit specific frames of expectation; that intergenerational activity can be multifaceted. From our observations, the effort was successful and clearly worked in the process of forming the seeds of an intergenerational relationship in Rūjiena.
In order to promote involvement, we started each workshop with ice-breaking activities, where participants got to know each other – with every meeting a little more. Special attention was paid to communication and reflection on the progress of the co-creation process and group cooperation.
HOW TO?
During the last workshop a survey was conducted, and the target group participants acknowledged that theproject had been successful. Students emphasized that these activities have madeseniors seem closer and more human; they also mentioned that thanks to this project they also feel safer in contact with their grandparents. The seniors admitted that their initial fear of meeting young people was not justified. They especially highlighted the fact that they got to know the students during the project, and now when they meet outside the school in the urban environment, they greet each other, they feel closer, which suggests that there is a great potential of furthering these relationships into something more outside the framework of this project. Although the time allotted for the project was limited, it contributed to reducing stereotypes and increasing comfort in intergenerational communication. The foundations for further cooperation have been established, however, long-term impact would require additional support and mechanisms to continue such projects.
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