Showcasing Across the Generations

NICCY
13 November 2009 - 2:30pm
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Tagged as:

• Children and families
• Children's commissioner
• Community development
• Dame Joan Harbison
• Equality
• intergenerational
• Joan Cosgrove
• NICCY
• Older people
• Patricia Lewsley
• Stormont
• Young people

Commissioner for Children and Young People, Patricia Lewsley, with Older People's Advocate Dame Joan Harbison.

NORTHERN Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY), Patricia Lewsley, together with Older People's Advocate, Dame Joan Harbison, helped showcase intergenerational projects at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday November 4.

The event was formally welcomed by Assembly Speaker, William Hay, and guest speakers included Junior Ministers Robin Newton and Gerry Kelly. It was co-hosted by Charlotte Higgins from NICCY's Youth Panel and Joan Cosgrove of Newtownabbey Senior Citizens Forum.

The intergenerational projects showcased on the day, where young and old work together, were from Comber Primary School; Eastend Residents Association, Newtownards; and the Kinghan Church, RNID and Jordanstown School for children with Auditory and Visual Impairments.

"Age is not a barrier to working together," said Patricia Lewsley. "We must recognise that too often people are stereotyped according to media portrayal.

"Not all young people are thugs. Not all pensioners are grumpy.

"We have had an event co-presented by young and old; we have seen and heard about projects that make a real difference when young and old work together.

"When we bridge the age gap we find that young and old are closer in thoughts and ideas, experience and enthusiasm than many believe."

Dame Joan Harbison, the Older People's Advocate said, "We have to be innovative and proactive in recognising the exclusion of older people is the same for younger people.

"We need to recognise the strength we have in older and younger people working together through intergenerational programmes which can develop and share skills and knowledge."