Intergenerational Arts - Working With Young and Older People Together
Intergenerational Arts is when young and older people use the arts to interact in a way that allows them to share experiences, knowledge, skills, creative practice and build cross–generational friendships.
- Molly Cawley, Suran Karimi and Mexally Smko working on the Magic Me Project, Bealtaine Sligo 2008
Groups of young and old people work together with artists in the visual arts, music, dance and creative writing and other artforms through residency projects or specific workshops.
Intergenerational arts programmes are now more common and necessary in order to reinforce generational bonds that have been reduced because of the geographic or societal distancing of young and old.
In County Sligo there are a number of innovative intergenerational arts projects running in both rural and urban settings. Current Intergenerational arts projects are:
- Rathcormac Intergenerational Music Project, Rathcormac National School and older adults from local community
- Easkey Intergenerational Arts Project, Easkey Health Centre and Easkey Secondary School, Colaiste Iascaigh
Images from the Rathcormac Intergenerational Music Project 2012
