The National Youth Agency - Sixty Plus Intergenerational Project

Sixty Plus Intergenerational Project

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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Case study date: January 2008

Local authority in which project based: London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Date started: 1996

End date if not ongoing: ongoing

Type of organisation: Independent charity

Brief description

Sixty Plus is a small independent charity supporting older people in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) to maintain their independence, dignity and choice. Its Intergenerational Project involves young volunteers in a range of activities with older people, aiming to break down barriers and prejudice between the generations by building partnerships of mutual benefit and promoting both groups’ self-confidence and contributions to the community. Its core scheme provides one-to-one support in information and communication technology, reading, and English language, plus other projects. Other activities include a three-week summer drama project and smaller projects throughout the year.

Collaboration

The project recruits young volunteers through local secondary schools, colleges and youth projects. Tutors from Action for Blind People, Westway Development Trust ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) project and Open Age IT project provide training for young volunteers. The Kensington and Chelsea Community Safety Team, Safer Neighbourhoods Teams, Crime Prevention Panel and Police Community Support Officers also support the work as a way of contributing towards community cohesion. A number of London based artists, including Theatre ADAD, support the arts based work.

Funding

Task Force Trust has funded the intergenerational work since 1996 with an initial annual grant of £20,000. This has been tapered over the past five years, and a final grant of £5,000 will be made for 2008-09. The core scheme direct costs are around £40,000 p.a. The remainder comes primarily from charitable donations and one-off project funding. The local authority has contributed £6,000 per year towards running cots for the past two years.

The summer drama scheme has running costs of £13,000, mainly funded by the Community Safety Team with contributions from the Crime Prevention Panel and Holland Park School. RBKC has provided small grants for other one-off arts projects.

Staffing

One full-time project coordinator.

NATURE OF PROVISION

Which groups of people does the project work with?

Sixty Plus supports around 1,800 members each year, with around 50 to 60 taking part in intergenerational projects. Most members are aged 70 to 80. Approximately two-thirds are female and around half are non-British, with some language project participants unable to read and write in their mother tongue. Most are on means tested benefits.

Volunteers are aged between 16 and 24 years, with most aged 16 to 18 and in full-time education. The project currently supports 64 young volunteers, with a maximum of 70 in any one year. Three-quarters are female, and 60 per cent are British, including around 10 per cent Black British. The remaining 40 per cent is made up of recent immigrants from a variety of backgrounds, reflecting the school population in the borough. The project also involved young people attending a local pupil support unit.

How was the need for the project identified?

The intergenerational work started with a small mosaic project in 1996. Sixty Plus recognised the value of creating partnerships which benefited both older and young people and it quickly grew into a strong community project.

How do participants become involved? What, if any, commitment do you ask for from young volunteers?

The project worker recruits older people through Sixty Plus membership and contact with local voluntary organisations. The Metropolitan Society for the Blind and Royal National Institute for the Blind refer people to the reading project. Young volunteers are recruited at the start of the academic year, and are expected to volunteer once a week throughout the year.

What are the main approaches used and activities offered?

Activities fall under two categories: the core scheme and arts-based, short or one-off projects. The core scheme provides weekly individual support to older people, mainly in their homes. This includes:

The Reading Project – young volunteers are trained as readers and matched with visually impaired older people. Tasks include reading for pleasure, sorting mail and everyday administrative help.
Computer Project – young volunteers coach older people in using ICT, including accessing the internet and using digital cameras or DVDs.
English Language Support – English speaking young volunteers are matched with older people to provide extra support to improve their everyday spoken English.

Projects provide opportunities for group interaction. They include an annual three-week summer drama project, ‘Acting Up’, involving daily workshops and culminating in a public performance by volunteers and older members at the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road. Participants use role play to explore issues such as safety on the streets, bullying, group and gang threats, friendships and building relationships. Smaller, one-off activities take place throughout the year. Past projects include a mosaic project and gardening work.

There is a strong emphasis on volunteer support to ensure that young people have a positive and rewarding experience, encouraging a lifelong commitment to volunteering. They receive induction training followed by project specific training with a qualified tutor from the field. The worker matches volunteers with older people and accompanies them on the first visit to make sure that there is a suitable match of personalities and styles of delivery. After the initial meeting volunteers are left to arrange their own visits. If they prefer, young people may volunteer in pairs.

How are participants involved in shaping the project/programme?

The different strands of the project developed in response to needs identified by older people and their families. Participants continue to provide regular feedback to inform the project’s development.
The first week of each Acting Up project consists of activities and discussion groups for the young and older participants, providing the basis for Theatre ADAD to develop the play’s theme.

How does the project respond to the needs of different people, particularly the most marginalised?

Most classes are home based in order to offer services to those who are housebound or lack the confidence to go out. A range of adaptive technology such as large screen laptops, large roller ball mouse or keyboard stickers are available to assist with ICT learning. Many members of the reading project are referred shortly after being registered blind and the volunteers provide essential support as they readjust.
Group work is used to involve young people who do not feel able to volunteer on a one-to-one basis.
Volunteers can claim expenses for public transport fares and receive a contribution towards refreshments if sessions are longer than three hours.

OUTCOMES OF WORK

Does the project contribute to the five Every Child Matters outcomes for young people?

The project does not report against the ECM outcomes framework. However, links are evident under:
Making a positive contribution – volunteering allows young people to help meet identified needs in the community, increase self-confidence and develop positive relationships.
Enjoy and achieve – young people expand their horizons through arts and programmes which support personal and social education and citizenship.

What skills do young people gain through their involvement in the project?

Young people learn teaching skills and improve their social skills. Many benefit from developing reciprocal relationships and having someone to talk to outside their family.

What has changed for older people, organisations or the wider community as a result of the project?

Older people consistently report positive effects on their mental health and general well being from interacting with young people, learning new skills and putting them into practice. Many go on to undertake more formal training.
In addition to individual benefits, social contact across the generations ensures that both older and younger people gain an understanding of each others’ perspectives and experiences. The summer drama production provides opportunities for both groups to make valuable links with the wider community.
The project also helps schools fulfil their commitment to active citizenship; one school links volunteering to citizenship education, while another has one afternoon per week for ‘enrichment in the community’ work.

How are people's progress and achievements measured and recorded?

Activities are not linked to formal qualifications. Volunteers receive certificates for training undertaken and to recognise their involvement.
Volunteers and older people are asked to record details of visits in a project diary to gauge what they achieve together. The project worker visits young people each term to discuss their placement, and asks them for feedback, including ‘favourite moments’ each summer. Older people are also asked to to monitor the service and identify possible progression routes at the end of each academic year

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS

How is the project evaluated?

The Centre for Intergenerational Practice based at the Beth Johnson Foundation undertook a scoping and mapping exercise in May 2007. This used a framework developed to support European Approaches to Inter-Generational Lifelong Learning (Eagle) and now forms one of the national case studies in the European practice showcase.
Sixty Plus provides annual reports for the Task Force Trust to provide an overview of the work, plus reports on specific short term and one-off projects.
Young volunteers won a Philip Lawrence Award for their community contribution in December 2005.

What are the findings of any evaluations to date?

As winners of the Philip Lawrence Award, the project was recognised for contributions to the community which bring out the best in young people, empower them to take the initiative and make a real difference to their lives and the lives of others.
(Capable of Greatness magazine for the Philip Lawrence Awards 2005)

What changes/developments have occurred as a result of evaluation?

The location of projects moved from community learning centres to older people’s accommodation to ensure that services reached those who needed one-to-one support or who were isolated.

What has worked well and why?

Young people providing computer coaching because it is second nature to them - they are not fazed by any of the requests for help.
The Acting Up project gives young people a freer platform to express themselves compared to opportunities offered to them at school.

What has been difficult and why?

Language barriers where participants do not share a common language. Volunteers’ training includes advice on how to overcome this.
Health problems relating to work with older people – the project seeks to overcome this by adopting a flexible and adaptable approach allowing individual circumstances to be taken into account.
Adapting to working in people’s homes – home visits are conducted to ensure they offer a safe environment for young people.

PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC IMPACT

What specific experience and expertise does your organisation bring to partnership work?

Sixty Plus has been involved with intergenerational work for over 10 years. It has extensive experience of brokering agreements and liaising with outside organisations and funders. As a result, it has built relationships with 10 schools and colleges and gained a reputation for providing valuable volunteering opportunities for young people.

Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners?

Its relationship with some schools has resulted in them increasing their community outreach. For example, one school now regularly goes to a sheltered scheme to lead sing-alongs.

Have you experienced any particular difficulties in partnership working?

Schools and colleges work under pressure to meet targets so there is a need to make a clear case for intergenerational volunteering and ensure that schools receive regular feedback.
Intergenerational work is across ‘client groups’ and that can sometimes cause confusion with funders.

Do you consider this project to be innovative?

Working with young people and ‘selling’ the idea of community service during a very pressured time of their lives is challenging and particularly distinctive for an organisation focusing on older people’s well-being. The project has shown how intergenerational contact contributes towards community cohesion.

How do you disseminate the learning from the project?

The project is a member of Age Concern’s Intergenerational Network, as well as the Centre for Intergenerational Practice’s networks, and its work has featured in these organisations’ publications. During the past 18 months, presentations have been made to the National Council on Ageing, the Mentoring and Befriending National Conference and a joint All Parliamentary group on older people and children.

Has the learning from this work influenced wider organisational/service strategies?

Sixty Plus has opened up other services to involve young people. For example, it now approaches schools to help with large events such as its annual health fair for older people and Valentine’s party.

What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?

The project hopes to secure funds to appoint a second full-time worker to expand the arts work and create further partnerships with youth services.

CONTACT

Ben Long, Sixty Plus, 1 Thorpe Close, London W10 5XL. Tel: 020 8969 9105