Intergenerational Coffee Morning Events

Coffee mornings prove a positive hit as Intergenerational Project is launched

Safer Communities Torbay has been working to help bridge the generational gap between Torbay’s residents, as part of an exciting project.

At the You Said We Did residents’ consultation events held by Safer Communities Torbay earlier this year, it was highlighted that there was a lack of understanding and tolerance between some older and younger people in our communities.

Many older residents when questioned referred to local young people as being “hoodies” or “yobs”, adding that they were intimidated by them when in large groups. When young people were questioned about life in Torbay, a large proportion stated that they felt older residents viewed them negatively and labelled them all as “yobs” and “hoodies” when it was a minority of young people that cause the problems.

To tackle this, Safer Communities Torbay launched its Intergenerational Project with a number of events throughout the area, to challenge people’s perceptions about generational differences.

Two local schools and two youth groups opened their doors and welcomed members of the public into their environments at events spanning a 5 week period. Each event attracted groups ranging in size from 15 to 30 people.

Paignton Community College kicked off the string of intergenerational events during June.

The YMCA and Victoria Park youth centres followed, hosting their own coffee mornings for local elderly residents. These events provided a unique opportunity for older members of the local community to visit the youth centres and witness first hand the encouraging work being carried out.

Westlands School had the task of closing the events. After 3 very well attended and supported events, expectations were high for the final and they did not disappoint with community groups and students alike enjoying each others company and discussing life in Torbay.

It wasn’t just liquid refreshments on offer at some of the coffee mornings with some residents at one youth centre taking part in skittles, basketball and pool matches. Another centre also challenged local older people to a mixed generation computer games competition. These additional activities were well received from the residents, one saying; “the interactions were great from both sides. I gained so much from them and from this experience”.

In fact, regardless of the activities undertaken, all people involved in the schemes were pleased with the outcomes. A resident from Hatfield Flats joined students from Westlands School, and said “I was concerned about attending the event. In general I try to avoid youths these days, fear of the unknown I suppose. But now I am really pleased I came. The kids were fantastic and great fun to talk to. I felt they really listened and it was nice to be asked questions in return. I guess I was wrong to have my fears before. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks”.

Chris Lander, soon to be Assistant Head Teacher of Community Cohesion at Westlands School was keen to support the project and challenge negative associations between generations. He said; “Seeing the students and local residents mix and talk was fantastic. I couldn’t be prouder of the students and their enthusiasm to converse with and learn from the residents. I truly believe in this project and will continue to support it for as long as possible”.

The events were also supported by PCSO Gemma Willcocks and PC Alison Miles from Devon and Cornwall Police. Both were confident about the benefits of the events. Gemma saying; “People naturally have their own perceptions about other people and other communities but sometimes those perceptions aren’t always based on facts. Bringing together older and younger people at events like these is a fantastic way to get groups talking and sharing their views about where they live and things that they have in common”.  

Safer Communities Torbay is looking to continue this good work in bridging the gap between generations with many other community projects planned.

For more information about the intergenerational projects being carried out by Safer Communities Torbay call 01803 841274.