Bridging the generation gap

When Safer Communities Torbay (SCT) carried out a consultation activity in 2010 called You Said. We Did. the results were very interesting. Some comments from older people stated that they found younger people intimidating. Some comments from younger people stated that they found older people intimidating.

SCT looked into this issue further and found that in a time where families are becoming increasingly distant whether it is through geography, family set up or divorce, the natural relationships between generations is being negatively affected in some cases.

Historically Torbay has always attracted the older people. 43.7% of Torbay residents are over the age of 50, some 10.7% higher than the national average and 5.2% higher than the South West average. Theses statistics alone suggest that positive steps are required to ensure that the majority of local residents are integrated with their younger counterparts.

The aim of the project was:

• To change pre-conditioned perceptions of generations.
• To actively promote schemes and programmes that encourage integration.

The objectives of the project were:

• To work in partnership to challenge existing perceptions, seeking alliances with local housing schemes to endorse integration.
• To encourage local schools and colleges to welcome older people into their environments.
• To speak with both age groups to pro-actively find solutions to concerns

As part of the project many different activities were delivered to promote communication between generations. Some examples of which can be found below. If you’d like to find out more about any specific activities relating to this project please email us at scatt@torbay.gov.uk.