Just imagine...old and young together, united not divided
You may have seen TV coverage of children from nurseries mixing with older people living in care homes. Wouldn't it be great if this happened in every community? If there was somewhere that older and younger people could mix and share activities and experiences?
Why centres for all ages?
The benefits of mixing are huge - from helping children learn and develop to reducing loneliness and improving the health of older people. And there are wider benefits for families and our society which is often segregated by age, with many youngsters not meeting older people. Bringing older and young people together can tackle myths and stereotypes, increase mutual understanding and address big issues like ageism and improving care. Mixing matters for all of us - whatever our age.
What do centres for all ages look like?
There are lots of different types of 'shared sites' or 'centres for all ages'. The care home with a nursery on site (like Apples and Honey Nightingale featured here) is probably the best-known example where children mix every day with the older residents. There are also schools where older people's services are based, and older people's housing schemes where students live. Many community centres also host activities for all ages. Our website lists examples in the UK and elsewhere that bring different generations together.
A centre for all ages in every community
United for All Ages is working to develop shared sites like these across the UK. Our aim is to support the development of 500 centres for all ages by 2023 - with at least one in every community. With your help, we can make it happen. Wouldn't that be great for everyone?
How your donation will be used
Your donation will enable United for All Ages to advise and support the development of new centres for all ages. We will share lessons and ideas between centres for all ages through a network and research, newsletters, publications, events and a revamped website. As well as being a catalyst for creating new centres, we will provide expertise directly to those developing shared sites and bring providers together to ensure that intergenerational interaction is built in from the start. We offer one-to-one advice and support to start-ups and established providers to get them moving towards co-location and avoid reinventing the wheel.
Many thanks for your support. We'll keep you posted as new centres for all ages take off.