Topic 5 Intergenerational Learning Objectives

• Demonstrates to children, and society as a whole, that older people can be active and dynamic.
• Improves communication between generations by knowing the needs of each other. This communication develops young’s communication skills and teaches them patience, empathy, and respect for elders.
• Promotes social skills in both young people and older people and builds relationships between the different generations. This could be done by supporting friendly companionship programs among young volunteers who accompany the elderly. Volunteers provide various services such as escorting elderly to the market, having a meal, simple teaching of technology, and so on.
• Promotes the process and the methodology of intergenerational work by incorporating it into the learning curriculum for both children and the elderly. That can be by opening the way for older people with experience and those who have specializations in certain fields to give lectures workshops connected to their fields, whether in universities or schools. Thus, an educational environment is created that links generations together and benefit from each other experiences..
• Exchanges knowledge, experiences, and competencies.

Each person possesses various knowledge, skills, experiences and competences that can be passed on to another. Intergenerational learning can exchange these to another generation. The younger generation being more technical savvy can teach older generations how to use technology. Older generations can teach younger generations skills such as crafting, knitting and other skills that might not be taught in formal education.