POSITIVE AGEING SEGMENT #2

Connecting Generations Bangalow aims to provide support for young families who have moved to the area without extended family connections and focusses on helping older members of the community live longer, more fulfilling lives by engaging with younger generations and fulfilling their natural role as an elder both in a family environment and in the community at large.

Motivated by a trial program called Generations Together conducted in Somerset in England and Marc Freedman’s book How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting Generations, the Connecting Generations Bangalow group held a picnic in the park with arts and craft activities, and playing musical instruments. A follow up picnic was also held to foster relationships that had been formed between young families and the older people, with some becoming surrogate grandparents like Ruth.

Connecting Generations Bangalow evolved from there, with seasonal events which all have different activities and attractions.

I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming Ruth Winton-Brown into the studios 9.30 this morning to share more about this project and the event coming up on Saturday.

And it doesn’t stop there! An organisation based in Lennox Head called GenConnect is also working tirelessly to bridge the vast expanse between generations these days and we'll be hearing from Nicole Voegeli about the online project she and her partner have developed in between raising 4.5 children!