Building Intergenerational Space
Intergenerational spaces provide girls with opportunities to ask important questions as they navigate becoming women and they also create a community and network of support for girls’ leadership and skill-development. These spaces provide older women with the opportunity to share the wisdom of their experiences and to learn from the younger girls.
We believe that intergenerational work is an exchange between everyone involved and should not be a hierarchal teaching experience.
Some questions to consider when doing intergenerational work:
• How do we create spaces that value both youth and adults as experts and students?
• How do we create intergenerational exchanges that challenge traditional notions of hierarchy and expertise?
• What can you do in your program to create the conditions for positive intergenerational learning opportunities?
Some methods people have used to facilitate building intergenerational connections in their girls’ programs:
• Recruit women from different generations to participate in a workshop. Try pairing girls up based on their interests. You can outreach to women through the local community.
• Invite women from different generations to some of your activities or to facilitate a workshop.
• Create a supportive network with different age groups represented. For example, Anti-dote Multi-racial Girls’ and Women’s Network in Victoria has three groups of girls and women all connected together: Girls (under 20), Sistahs (20’s) and Aunties (30+).
• Coordinate a Career Day. Invite women with interesting careers to talk with the girls about their work and how they got there. Ensure this exchange happens in a way that encourages the girls to ask questions and get involved.
• Connect with programs for older girls and plan activities together.
• Have sessions where girls can bring in women from different generations who are already in their lives to share in the activities and meet other members of the group.
