Foundation welcomes cash boost for intergenerational work

13th January 2009

The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation welcomes the announcement by the Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne that there is to be more funding of intergenerational volunteering to bring older and younger people closer together.

As the national strategic body for mentoring and befriending in England, the Foundation recognises the impact that mentoring and befriending has and can continue to make within the whole area of intergenerational practice. The Foundation hopes to see the further expansion of mentoring and befriending practices within this arena.

Computer skills and reading/writing support are some examples of how older and younger people come together through community-based mentoring and befriending schemes.

Mr. Byrne announced a £3m fund over two years to recruit 20,000 volunteers who will be involved in a wide range of intergenerational volunteering projects.

Peter Collins, Chief Executive of the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation said:

“Intergenerational mentoring and befriending is a mutually beneficial activity that can lead to greater integration and active community engagement.

“Bringing young people and older people together can create a two-way shared learning experience, building up trust and respect while contributing to greater community cohesion.

“We are aware of many worthwhile projects in which older men and women pass on their life skills and wisdom to younger people and where the older generation is able to learn from the young people of today.”

Older Active People is a one-to-one befriending scheme in an area of Leeds where the transient student population has displaced many of the local community. Here local students befriend older people providing neighbourly support and helping to reduce isolation and loneliness.

The Sixty Plus Intergenerational Computer Project in London sends young volunteers into the homes of older people to coach them with their computer skills. Describing the relationship between one older service user and his supporter Project Co-ordinator Ben Long said:

“They have, over the course of their time together, increasingly taken an interest in each others’ lives outside of ‘the classroom.’

Retired business man Mike Potts is a familiar face in the classroom at St. Thomas More RC High School in North Tyneside where he works with students, helping them with special projects. He is able to input his own knowledge, wisdom and expertise.

He said:

“Young people are too often demonised. “Intergenerational mentoring is something that would help to overcome age-related prejudice in many sections of society and reduce isolation.”

Margaret Shephard is a 69-year-old retired care warden who is ‘going back to school’ in Stoke-on-Trent to give classroom support to people like Rahima who came to Britain from Afghanistan.

Margaret said:

“I just love it. I have learnt about another culture. “I help them to understand what is going on in class, what is being said and help them to build their confidence.”

At a recent national conference hosted by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, the Beth Johnson Foundation and the National Youth Agency, Beverley Hughes MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families said:

“Young people are often written off too quickly by too many adults for social problems while older people are too often seen as out of touch by the ‘Internet-savvy’ youth of today. This is one reason why intergenerational work and mentoring are so important.”

The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation looks forward to the announcement of further details of the funding programme and the intergenerational projects that are likely to benefit from this initiative.

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