Programme/activity name Move and Groove

Lead organisation

Youth Sport Trust

Country England

Period May – June 2022

Objective

These projects are rooted in empowering groups and individuals, promoting new intergenerational connections, and showcasing the inherent relationship between music and movement.

Programme, activities, events

Pairs of schools and care homes across England have been identified to work together on this exciting project. Members of staff from each setting will attend a regional training day at the end of April where they will learn how to run a project in their area, take part in and practise leading fun physical and music activities, learn how to create a welcoming environment for old and young, and discuss safeguarding considerations. They will be provided with a toolkit and bag of play and music equipment, and receive ongoing support from YST and IMM staff via phone calls and visits; and each other through regular online network meetings

Stakeholders and roles

YST and IMM to identify participating settings, primary schools as source of young people to take part and care homes as source for older people to take part, London South Bank University as research

Barriers

Outcomes

It takes time to build connections between the participating settings. Staff in the settings have other priorities.

The findings highlight the potential of this approach to promote subjective well-being, alleviate stress, and foster social connections in both children and older adults. By incorporating music, movement and intergenerational practice, these programs offer a promising avenue for addressing the challenges of an ageing population and promoting healthy ageing. However, further research with larger and more diverse samples is needed to confirm and expand upon these findings

Principles for behaviour change

Tips & tricks

Other information

Source

Allow time for younger people and older people to get to know each other before starting sessions.

Ensure there is a project lead in participating settings https://www.youthsporttrust.org/programmes/move-and-groove https://www.moveandgroove.org.uk/

This project brought together two organisations with differing areas of expertise – YST re physical activity and IMM re music.

Programme/activity name

Intergenerational Activities and Yew Tree Nursery

Lead organisation Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership

Country England Period N/A

Objective

The Yew Tree Nursery are one of 10 settings across Somerset developing a new project that see’s their children take part in physical activity sessions with residents living in local care homes. The project is a hybrid version of the very successful ‘Golden Age Olympics’, a functional chair-based fitness project. Golden Age Olympics is already working across Somerset in residential care homes, nursing homes, dementia care homes and sheltered accommodation. The intergenerational version of the project includes the young children and allows them to take part in the activities developing their personal, physical, social and emotional skills.

Programme, activities, events

The benefits of this project are similar for both residents and children, for example the opportunity to build relationships helps to support emotional and social skills. While the physical activities are low in intensity, they still provide an excellent opportunity to develop key physical skills for both sets of participants; larger gross motor skills such as core strength and shoulder stability are both key to improving some of the fine motor skills such as finger dexterity that are key to both residents and children. During the sessions the participants take part in a number of activities such as:

• Athletics – Focusing on hand to eye coordination, number and colour recognition

• Marathon – Gross motor skills

• Gymnastics – Shoulder stability to support fine motor skills

• Orienteering – Fine motor skills, finger dexterity and sorting objects

• Team challenges – Social skills Stakeholders

Outcomes

Testimonials: “Children are full of love, happiness, energy and wonder and to be able to share this with the elderly is a truly enlightening experience for all... My best moment was seeing a lady called Dorothy who is 100 have such energy and competitiveness during activities, it’s amazing.”

“I hoped the project would support the issues the elderly may face of loneliness and lack of social interaction. Children have buckets of energy and happiness and I hoped combining these would bring a positive uplift for the elderly on a regular basis” – Chelsea Wollard, Yew Tree Nursery.

Source https://www.sasp.co.uk/intergenerational

Programme/activity name Hopp la Foundation/Spaces for physical activity for all generations

Lead organisation

Department of Sport, Physical Activity and Health, University of Basel

Country Switzerland

Period N/A

Objective

1) to increase physical activity; 2) to maintain and increase strength and balance; 3) To prevent the risk of falling; 4) promote a sustainable encouragement of physical and sports activity for people over 50;

5) intergenerational meetings through physical activity.

Programme, activities, events

Physical activities shared with children:

Intergenerational Health and Physical Activity Promotion; Moments of shared pleasure!

Intergenerational Implementation (train not separately, but together) – Prevention programs: a combined training of force and coordination of significant preventive effects.

Organising spaces encouraging physical activities

Organising physical intergenerational activities: “Generations in Motion” project in Basel: Introduce intergenerational play and physical activity areas, as well as accompanying programs (arouse the enthusiasm of the inhabitants of the districts, involve the actors concerned): Physical Activity Games (Exciting New Gear); “Gaming machines” – children use them with adults, interactive water games -joint experimentations.

Stakeholders and roles

Barriers

Basel municipality; Hopp la Foundation

1) Lack of physical activity has become a characteristic of the human species of all ages; 2) Activities are fully optional; 3) We are rarely able to benefit children ((and their parents) who are not inclined to move; 4) conflicts of use in the public space (playgrounds for kids with the lack of spaces for seniors)

Outcomes

Psychological, social and cognitive aspects:

• Improved social skills, self-esteem, language skills, increased quality of life, increased happiness level, combined drive of strength and balance, moments of shared pleasure,

• Reduced risk of falling among the elderly (65-97-year) by 15 to 50% thanks to strength training and balance; increased autonomy of those concerned), social added value/positive influence on relations between generations.

Economic aspects: The costs of healthcare can be reduced (less overweight, diabetes, depression, falls, etc. -Switzerland will have the fittest population in the world and a society with (long-term) significant savings in health.

Principles for behaviour change

Children’s physical activity significantly depends on available green spaces, traffic intensity and proximity to sports clubs;

• Easy access (physical activities in the public space, no need to be a member, etc.);

• Link physical activity to key seniors’ centers of interest: nature, cultural activities, children’s company.

Tips & tricks

Recommendations to encourage physical activity in public and private spaces:

• Develop play places;

• Encourage physical activity in school and recreation; Unique in the world: the J+S program, which encourages physical activity from the age of 5.

Other information https://vimeo.com/153491038?from=outro-embed

Source http://www.hopp-la.ch