Week 9

Intergenerational Learning in Adult and Community Education

#AdultConversations #52weeks52speaks

Week 9 Fey Cole

Traditionally we associate FE learning with the 16 to 19 years age bracket. The commitment to community and adult learning is there but how often do generations really come together to embrace life long learning experiences where adult education is integrated fully into FE?

When we talk about communities, we have a tendency to section off age brackets in all sorts of ways. Teenagers go to the youth clubs, Parents of young children meet together at a toddler group, older residents gather at day centres. These groups are changing as those who lead them reach out to their communities but, even from toddlers, we put social and regulatory rules in place so only specific ages get certain times and learning opportunities together.

As Educational establishments, I feel we have a duty to commit our spaces to intergenerational learning. FE learning provision is a huge community centre that we have within the heart of our towns, villages and cities. With that in mind, we have to do more to ensure every person within our community feels it is their space and that what we offer delivers that commitment to lifelong learning that we have.

This commitment for me, holds a personal tale of doing things differently. I wanted FE (16-19yrs) students to get first hand experience of working on an intergenerational community activity through a project based learning initiative.

Students set up an Intergenerational space where school age children, full time students, teachers and seniors from our local area could come together for social activities. The school children’s curriculum was planned for using projects and activities that could be shared with the attending adults over a cup of tea/juice and a few sweet treats. There were no pre-described targets, it was a chance and we would map the learning back to the students own curriculum, reflecting together on how this project could be evidenced as part of their Early Years qualification.

It grew. Sports students planned exercise activities for the intergenerational attendees. Health and Social care students planned a physical health awareness morning. The hair and beauty students did a wellbeing session. IT students taught us new skills. Hospitality were able to prepare for a range of catering needs. As we learnt from the adults, we were able to find out their skills and learn from each of them together. By strengthening the student ownership of the project we were able to be creative in how we learnt and everyone participating felt able to tell us what they needed from the space.

Some of the best learning opportunities I have seen have come from this project. It also held new learning for me. Our spaces need more work if we want them to be intergenerational in their truest form.

We need to look at our spaces. Are they open for intergenerational learning? Do we take the time to reflect on how an adult may feel entering our provision? Who welcomes those who come through the door so everyone knows it is a safe space? How do we create a community where all age groups and backgrounds support one another? How do we ensure different types of learning come together? Are our courses accessible for Intergenerational learning and do they meet the needs of individuals? Not all spaces are there yet and there is a lot of work to do, especially when there are large sections of our community who are feeling socially isolated within their local area.

Talking to the 70 years plus age bracket over this project, I have realised just how disconnected individuals can feel. There are many people who are isolated from society. Sadly, many feeling like they have little left to offer. And yet, they bring with them the biggest wealth of knowledge and experience. Aside from their work and life experience, they can teach FE students (and the wider community) how to love. How to find joy. How to feel. Their experience is not one to be dismissed but instead one to be embraced.

When I visited care homes in Sweden I found community hubs full of visitors and learning from all generations together. In our UK society, we have a tendency to isolate the residents in homes. Don’t. This is a mistake and if we do, we miss the opportunity to learn from some of the wisest and most experienced of our community.

There are many active individuals experiencing the best years of their life as they enter into retirement and are actively seeking new learning experiences. There are also many who want to continue to connect but have been isolated due to societal restrictions. Reflection for us in FE is key, how do we truly make our colleges the heart of our community and make it a space that connects all of us together?

As we begin to think about returning to our physical buildings, let’s consider how we can make them better. Now is the time to reflect on how we strengthen our communities and bring forward all the connections we have made over these challenging times. Let’s start an #AdultConversation with our neighbours.

Fey Cole is a lecturer at a college in Northern Ireland. You can find her on Twitter @ColeFey.