Intergenerational Relationships

JULIE BICKETT, DIRECTOR OF EARLY LEARNING

At The Geelong College we believe that children are born capable, and this ‘Image of the Child’ is central to our educative decision-making. When ideas, questions, curiosities, and wonderings are expressed by children, they are taken seriously and offered back to them in intentional and creative ways.

Our Intergenerational Relationships project illustrates our ‘Image of the Child’ process and highlights the many ways listening to children can empower not only them, but their peers, teachers, families, school, and wider community.

Back in 2019, while preparing cards of thanks for Mother’s Day, a question was asked:

“Do you have a Mum, Mrs Herbert?”

The answer was: “Yes, she is 92”.

Children were interested to learn that Mrs Herbert’s Mum lived at a place called Kalkee, and that Kalkee was a home for older people who were unable to live alone anymore.

When reflecting on this conversation, teachers made the decision to offer the opportunity for children to visit Kalkee. We didn’t realise at the time that this offering would mark the start of an Intergenerational project that would span over years and touch the hearts of so many.

Our initial visits in 2019 were structured around understanding what ‘home’ was and how ‘home’ can look different for people.

We quickly realised that the relationships that were forged and the beautiful connections that were made were something we should continue, so more visits were planned.

With the arrival of COVID in 2020, our Intergenerational Relationships project had to pivot, as did everything.

Rather than put the project on hold we looked for other ways to keep the project going while we couldn’t physically be together. Letters were written and sent through the post, videos were recorded and shared, and small trinkets were made and hand-delivered to doorsteps.

With 2023 came the opportunity to commence our visits once again, which was welcome news for our current Early Learners. These visits started in Term 1 and occur every three or four weeks.

Our recent visits to Kalkee have allowed children the opportunity to continue to build relationships with the residents while being valued as active citizens who can make a difference in our community. As children arrive at Kalkee there is always a sense of gratitude which is felt along with the intention to offer joy and companionship to our older friends. Children have started thinking about the role ‘memory’ plays in our lives and this has instilled an awareness that as we get older things are harder to remember. It has also encouraged children to think about how companionship, kindness and the gift of time can be celebrated and shared.

We are looking forward to attending a performance of “Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge”, a popular children’s book by Mem Fox, that explores memory loss, with our friends from Kalkee at Geelong Performing Arts Centre later this month.

One of the most resounding illustrations of how this project celebrates humanity is that one of our Year 3 students, who originally visited Kalkee in 2019, is returning with us next week. He will spend the afternoon with his friend Margaret, who has asked after him on numerous occasions. Four years of friendship is truly something special and their reunion will be a moment I wish we all could be a part of.

While the aim of this project, at its conception, was to broaden experiences for children, enhance educator capacity and strengthen our community (The Geelong College Strategic Plan: Towards 2025), we now see how the relationships that have been curated have enhanced our culture of connection and helped children to feel a sense of active citizenship.

These Intergenerational Relationships encourage children’s sense of agency and help them understand the values of respect, inclusion, care and appreciation of diversity. This offering is a precious gift. As our children encounter older generations, they are encouraged to develop a sense of connectedness to their community and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities we all have as active and informed citizens.

Above all, visits to Kalkee offer to broaden children’s understanding of the world in which they live, as they engage with life’s joys and complexities.

But, perhaps, the best gift of all, is hearing the same words echo through the corridors each time we leave Kalkee:

“Please make sure you bring these beautiful children back again”.

Lucky us.

“I am friends with Lindsay at Kalkee home, and he talks to me about his family. He has a special book with old pictures from when he was a boy. That was a long time ago”

- Lucy

“ I talk to Leslie, and she had a crown because she is 100 years old.”

– Elvie

“I made a picture for John at Kalkee. He said it was lovely and it made him smile. It made me happy too.”

-Hudson