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Bringing generations togetherearly insights from age2age, a HACT housing and support project

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HACT is grateful to the following, for the funding of age2age:• Glass House Trust• Headley Trust• PaulHamlynFoundation• V• Charles Hayward

• John Ellerman• RayneFoundation• LloydsTSBFoundation HACT is also grateful to the following, for the funding of the Homeshare strand of age2age:• Charles Hayward• PaulHamlynFoundation• Headley Trust• John Ellerman

This report focuses on the development phase of the age2age project.

Author: Dr Gillian Granville, July 2011 ISBN : 978-0-9561369-5-4 EditedanddesignedbyMatthewGrenier

HACTisanationalcharitythatexiststoimprovethewellbeingandlivingconditionsofpoorandmarginalisedpeople.

Ourprojectsdeliverlastingchange,byharnessingtheenergy and enthusiasm of local people, housing providers andotherorganisations.

Weprovidetheexpertiseandtheresourcestomakechange a reality.

Weinvestinworkthatbenefitslocalpeoplebuthasnationalresonanceandinfluencesnationalhousingpolicy.

HACT50 Banner StreetLondon EC1Y 8ST Tel: 020 7247 7800Fax:02072472212Email:[email protected]:www.hact.org.uk

Registered charity number: 1096829 Company number: 4560091

Acknowledgments

HACT works with housing providers to improve the wellbeing and living

conditions of poor and marginalised people. Projects aim to deliver lasting

change by harnessing the energy and commitment of local people, housing

providers and other organisations.

bringinggenerationstogether| 3

Introduction 4

1 Background 5

2 Abouttheevaluation 7

3 ActivitiesinEastLondon 9

4 ActivitiesinCumbria 13

5 Emerging themes 19

6 Thebenefitsofintergenerational practice 23

7 Key messages and learning so far 27

Appendix1 29

Appendix2 31

Appendix3 32

Appendix4 33

Content

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Thisreportpresentstheevaluationfindingsfromthedevelopment stage of the age2age programme – an initiativeofHACT–thehousingactioncharity.Itcoverstheperiodfromsummer2008whenthefirstage2ageprojectswerebeingset-upinCumbriauntiltheendofthefirstroundofgrantsinCumbriaandEastLondon(March2011).Thereportexploresthelearningthatisemergingfromthisdevelopmentstageandidentifiesandinformsareasthatwillbefurtherexploredandconsolidatedintheremainingeighteenmonthsoftheprogramme.AfinalevaluationreportisdueinDecember2012.

Thekeyaudiencesforthisreportarehousingorganisations,tenantsandresidentsassociations,funders,HACT and people interested in the development of intergenerationalactivities.Itwillbeofparticularvaluetocommunityorganisationsandhousingpractitionersinterestedinintergenerationalpracticeinahousingcontext.

Thepaperlooksatthebackgroundtoage2ageandtherationaleforitsdevelopment.Itexplainstheevaluationmethods used to collect the evidence and discusses what hastakenplaceintheprojectssofar.Thepaperanalysesthefindingstodateofage2ageandexploreswhattheimplicationsoftheseearlyfindingsmeanforhousingorganisations.Itconcludeswithkeymessagesandlearningforanumberofstakeholdersincludinghousingassociations,intergenerationalpractitionersandHACT.

Introduction


TheGlassHouseTrust(oneoftheSainsburyFamilyCharitableTrusts)hadalsoshownaninterestininvestinginintergenerationalwork.Theyinitiallyinvestedina small scoping study in a rural and urban area and subsequentlyagreedagrantoverfiveyearstopumpprimeneighbourhoodconfidence-buildingwork.

Age2age consistsofaseriesofintergenerationalactivitiescentred around housing. It aims to embed sustainable approachesofbringinggenerationstogetherintohousingproviders’business.Itisafive-yearproject(2008-2012)totest,developandevaluateintergenerationalactivitiesandpracticeinahousingcontext,withtwokeystrands.

Community grantsSmall grants of up to £4,000 per year have been awarded tocommunityorganisationstobringgenerationstogetherintheirneighbourhoodsinmeaningfulactivities. A small scoping study was conducted in a rural and urban area, before two geographical areas were selected: Cumbria as the rural area, and East London as an inner cityarea.Thelatteralsoofferedthepotentialofdrawingontheexperiencesofdiverseethniccommunities.GrantswereprovidedsothatHACTcouldexplorethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenage2age projects in inner city andruralcommunities.

HomeshareHomeshare is an approach bringing together older people with a home and younger people who need a home and are threatened by homelessness. Age2age wasparticularlykeentolearnabouthowaHomeshareinitiativewouldworkinaruralarea,becausetherewaslessknowledgeaboutruralschemes.1 HACT’s previous workhadshownthattransferringurbanmodelstorural

settingsdoesnotalwayswork.2Itwaskeentoseehowthe concept of Homeshare could be developed and adaptedinruralcommunities.Consequently,oneschemewas set up in Mendip Somerset and one in Eden District, Cumbria.TheMendipschemehasnowfinishedaftertwoyears. The Eden one is in an earlier stage of development. Abriefingpaperonlearningfromage2age Homeshare will be completed in November 2011.

Themainfindingsofthisreportfocuslargelyontheneighbourhood projects in East London and Cumbria.

Age2age outcomesThe aim of age2age is to develop a greater understanding betweendifferentgenerationsandtoreducenegativestereotypes.Theprojecthasfourkeyoutcomes:• a greater understanding of the role of housing in

promotingintergenerationalactivityincommunities;• an improvement in the quality of life of both younger

and older people, with younger people feeling more confidentwithincreasedselfworth,andolderpeoplefeelinglessisolated;

• toinfluencethewidersocialhousingsectortodevelopsustainableintergenerationalapproachesinallaspectsofitswork;

• aHomesharemodelthatcontributestogeneratingconfidenceandincreasedunderstandingbetweengenerations.

The changing contextTheseoutcomeswereagreedin2009andrefinedinApril2010. Since the start of the project age2age, there have been a number of wide ranging changes in the project’s operatingcontext,bothatanationalpolicylevelandatanorganisationallevel.Thesemaybesummarisedasfollows:• a new government came to power in May 2010 with a

differentideologyandpolicydirection;

1 Background

Therationalebehindtheage2age project came from a previous HACT project, the Older People’s Programme. In thefinalyearofthefive-yearprogramme,theprogramme’sadvisorygroupidentifiedintergenerationalworkwithahousingfocusasanareaneedingattention.

1 ThreepilotschemesrunbyNAAPSwereoperatinginOxfordshire, WiltshireandWestSussexandsomesharedlearningtookplace between the co-ordinators and the age2age co-ordinator. The evaluationoftheseprojectswaspublishedin2010andreleasedinto thepublicdomainin2011:JaneCoffey,An Evaluation of Homeshare Pilot Programmes in West Sussex, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire,Oxford BrookesUniversity,July2010

2 HACT(2008)Towards an ageing Society: final evaluation report of HACT’s Older People’s Programme.

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• in April 2011 austerity measures to cut the budget deficitcameintoforceresultinginmassivecutsto public sector funding and, as a result, cuts to the funding and resourcing of the community and voluntarysector;

• the concept of a Big Society and localism as advocated by the Government promotes community empowerment and increases capacity for volunteering. As yet, however, the ideas for implementationareunclear,particularlyaftertheeffectofthepublicsectorcuts;

• reforms are proposed for the housing sector that willimpactonallaspectsofhousingassociations’operations.Mostnotably,theyhavemajorimplicationsforthedevelopmentofnewsocialhousing,onallocationsandtenure,andonhousingbenefit.Manyfeartheywillresultinincreasedpovertyandinstability;

• re-structuringexercisesarehappeningacrossthesocial housing sector. Home Group, which is involved in several age2age projects,isoneexample.Itisintheprocessofasignificantre-organisationtoconsolidateinspecificareasanddeveloplocallyresponsiveandlocallydrivenservices;

• HACT has had to reduce the scale of age2ageactivitybecauseoffundingconstraintsandthedifficultiesofraisingcorecostsoverafiveratherthanathree-yearperiod.DevelopmentstaffinEastLondonandCumbria,forexample,arenowworkinglesshours.The grants fund remains as planned, but these funding constraints have impacted on support for the developmentofcommunityprojects;

• the original plan for two learning events a year is being reviewed. Two events have been held so far with a thirdoneplannedinJune;

• thescopingworkindicatedcommunitygroupswouldvalue small grants, but preferred them to be spread overalongerperiodoftime,becauseoneyear’sfundingtendedtomitigateagainstsustainability.OnceHACTstartedworkingwithgroupsitbecame

clearthatfundingoverthreeyearswouldbesufficienttogetprojectsofftheground,explorelongertermsustainabilityandwouldfitbetterwiththeevaluation.Inaddition,paymentdelaysandotherfactorsresultedinatimelagbetweenthestartdatesofeachproject;

• there are changes in the Board and senior management at HACT. The Projects Director went on secondmentforakeyperiodoftheinterimphase,with an interim director covering the project. A new ChairoftheBoardandnewchiefexecutivealsocameinto post in 2011.

Inthelightofthesecontextualchangesandthefindingsinthisinterimevaluationreport,itistimelyforHACTto review the age2age outcomes. This point will be developedfurtherinSection7ofthereport.


Theevaluationisintegratedintothedevelopmentoftheprogramme.Thisisessentialforfeedingbackevidenceofeffectivepracticeandlearningintotheprojectdesign.Italsoensuresthattheevaluationremainsrelevanttochangingcontextsandcircumstances.Aprogrammelogicmodelandevaluationquestions(appendix1)weredevelopedtoguidetheevaluationprocess.

Building evaluation capacity in organisations: a self-evaluation modelAswellascarryingoutaprogrammeevaluationthatlooksacross both areas of community projects and Homeshare to see if the programme is reaching its outcomes, the evaluationissupportinglocalprojectstoselfevaluatetheirwork.4 This has the added advantage of building evaluationcapacityanddevelopinganevaluationcultureinorganisations.Thelocalevaluationsalsofeedintotheprogrammeevaluation.

The methodology used across the programme and in theself-evaluationmodelisalogicmodelwithafocusonoutcomes(Appendix2).Indicatorsaredevelopedforknowingwhatsuccesslookslikeanddatacollectedinvarious ways. The model has been adapted for use with smallcommunitygroups(Appendix3)

Learning eventsHACTiscommittedtolearningfromallofitsprojects.One24hourlearningeventtookplaceinMarch2010in Chester when projects from Cumbria, Mendip and East London came together to share learning. A half-daylearningeventalsotookplaceinLondoninOctober2010. A second 24 hour event is planned for June in Manchester. The learning events provide valuable data for theevaluation.

Twoself-evaluationworkshopshavetakenplaceinCumbria and East London.

Monitoring and evaluation data formsMonthly monitoring data forms were developed for the community groups. It has not been easy to collect data from all the groups partly due to the evolving natureofsomeoftheworkandthelowfundingandhuman resources available to support groups. An end ofgrantevaluationformhasalsobeendevelopedand thishasbeenmoresuccessfulincollectingdatafrom the projects.

Theevaluationfocusesonoutcomesandincludesbothquantitativeandqualitativedata.Athematicanalysishasbeenappliedacrosstheprogrammefindings.

Main data sources used in this report• grantmonitoring/evaluationformsfromCumbriaand

EastLondonprojects;• learning events in Cheshire and East London – March

andOctober2010;• fieldworkvisitstoCumbriainJuly2010andApril2011,

including Home Group and Impact Housing projects in PenrithandWestCumbria;

• fieldworkvisitstoEastLondonprojectswithKarinin September 2010, Poplar Harca and Manor House Development Trust/ Genesis Community at Woodberry DowninHackneyinJanuaryandMarch2011;

• developmentstaffmonthlyprojectdiaries;• projectteamupdatereports;• smallsurveyofHousingsector;• sixstakeholderinterviewswithnationalstakeholders

inhousingorganisations(Appendix4);• four local housing managers.

2 About the evaluation

Theprogrammeevaluationofage2age is using a realist approach.3Thismethodologylooksatwhatworksandwhy,forwhichparticulargroupsofpeopleandinwhatcircumstances.Itpaysparticularattentiontothecontextinwhichactivitiesaretakingplaceinordertoinformthespreadandimplementationofeffectivepractice.

3 PawsonRandTilleyN(1997),Realistic Evaluation,Sagepublications4 Anoutcomeisdefinedasthechangethatresultsfromyour organisation’sactivity-forpeople,communities,theeconomy.They comeeitherwholly,orinpart,astheresultofanorganisation’sactivity. Outcomescanbenegativeaswellaspositiveandmeasuringthemis theonlywaythatyoucanknowforsurethatchangehastakenplace. New economics foundation

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A total of seven grants were awarded to community organisationsinEastLondoninthefirstroundofgrants.Sevenhousingassociationsandorganisationswere engaged ranging from small specialist housing associations(e.g.KarinHousing)tolargegroups (e.g.TowerHamletsCommunityHousingandGenesisHousingAssociation).

Karin Housing AssociationKarinprovidesaffordablehomeswithadditionalcommunityservicesmainlytotheSomaliandblackandminorityethniccommunitiesinLondon.Theyhaveaparticularfocusonhomelessnessandsocialhardship.

The purpose of the grant was:• to bring together older and younger people of Somali

heritageinordertofindwaystodevelopbetterunderstandingandmutualrespect;

• topinpointareasofconflictandpositively addresschangingrolesandtraditionalrelationships inthecommunity;

• tosupportindividualsofSomaliheritagetofulfil theirpotentialandcontributetothewidermainstream society.

Fourdiscussiongroupswereheld.InitialmeetingswerefacilitatedbyanexperiencedintergenerationalorganisationMagicMe.5 The discussion groups were genderandagespecific.Amini-conferencewasheldandthiswasfollowedbyafinaleventthatbroughtthegenerationstogether.

Fiftsixpeopleattendedtheevent–10girls,16women,10 men and 15 boys. The outcomes reported were:• everyonewantedtocontinuetohaveadialogue;• older people became more aware of the pressures on

youngpeople;• youngerpeoplefeltmoreconfidentintalkingabout

their fears to older people in their community.

All those who were part of the event hoped the projectwouldcontinuebecausetheyhadneverhadtheopportunitytotalktogetherinamutualsetting.Thehousingassociationdiscovereditcouldchangeperceptionsofitscommunitybybreakingdownmisconceptionsofthegenerations.TheServiceManagerof Karin said:

“Although the relationship between the generations was exceptionally negative, I noticed at the end [of the event] that they were listening to each other, respecting the different perspectives between them”.

KarinHousingAssociationhasreceivedanotherHACTgrantfortwoyearstobuildonthisworkandtoembedintergenerationalactivityintothecommunityitserves.

Poplar HARCAPoplarHousingandRegenerationCommunityAssociation(HARCA)isaregisteredlandlordandownsandmanagesapproximately8,490homesinPoplar,whichweretransferred from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The age2age grant was awarded to a partnership between Poplar HARCA and Neighbours in Poplar, a grassroots volunteer group in Poplar started by a group of localseniorcitizens.

ThepurposeofthegrantwastoimprovetheinteractionofthedifferentagegroupsusingtheBurchamCentre.TheCentrehadalonghistoryasaSeniorCitizensCentre.Withsomedifficultyitwaspossibletogetagreementforotherage groups to use the centre, although over previous yearstherehadbeenlittleinteractionbetweenthem.Thegroupdescribedthesegregationofthegenerations:

“Nowadays kids are seen as causing trouble and stuff, all of us are not trouble. Gone are the days when you can just walk outside, everyone knew their neighbours. I think it is nice to talk to people from a different generation.” (young man)

3 Activities in East London

EastLondonisadiverseareacoveringanumberofLondonboroughs,includingHackney,Newham,Havering,TowerHamletsandBarkingandDaganham.Ithasadiverse,multiculturalpopulationandtheinter-relationshipbetweenethnicity,ageandgenerationswasanimportantconsiderationinlocatingage2age in East London.

5 www.magicme.co.uk

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“It comes from fear. You hear so much about trouble, especially the elderly being attacked and mugged, you get nervous about going out when it’s dark.” (older woman)

The age2age project has been successful in bringing theolderandyoungergenerationstogetherinamutualactivity.Thedevelopmentofacommunitygardenwasthe catalyst. An older person described how the project developedandtheadvantageofbringingthegenerationstogetherinasharedactivity:

“Young people can do things we can’t. We all visited a community garden and agreed together. We work together, discuss together and agree what we are going to do.”

Tenwomenandsixmen,agedbetween17and84,fromWhite, Chinese, Caribbean and diverse BME groups, were involvedinthisactivity.Theoutcomeswere:• improved understanding of the pressures on the

youngergenerationfromtheoldergeneration:“Young people still get bullied and threatened; it’s happened a couple of times to us, walking past gangs and they’ve pulled a knife out” (young man);

• improved community safety and bringing the community closer together: “We are all together, so they (gangs) don’t want to know you, they steer clear and look for easy targets if you are a unit” (older woman);

• Improvedconfidenceinyoungpeopletotrya newskill;theyoungpeoplebuiltabarbequeand they felt supported by the older people in trying outanewskill.Theysaidtheolderpeopledidnotjudgethemorexpecttoomuch.Theolderpeoplewere pleased because they could not have done itthemselves;

• Improved well being through having fun:“So much fun, young people learnt about older people’s sense of humour – it broke the ice. Friendships have developed and you see older people and younger people coming together and having so much fun” (Poplar HARCA project staff).

Poplar HARCA is in the process of applying for a further age2agegranttobuildonthework.

Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH)THCH is a registered landlord and a registered charity formed,likePoplarHARCA,onthebasisofatransferofstockfromtheLondonBoroughofTowerHamlets. Itoperatesexclusivelyintheboroughandaimsto provide good quality homes for rent and shared ownership. It currently owns almost 3,000 homes, includingover1,900tenantedpropertiesandnearly 1,000 leasehold homes.

The age2age grant was made to address a request from the older residents for IT sessions. The idea was to involveyoungpeopleonTHCHestatesinofferingITsessions for the older people. In return, the older peoplewouldprovidelocalinformationaboutthe history of the community to young people. In the developmentstageoftheproject,THCHidentified thattheirintergenerationalactivitiesshouldbewiderthan pensioners and teenagers, because it is necessary to include those in the 40 to 60 age range if the generationaldivideistobebridged.

THCH has purchased the necessary IT equipment with the age2agegrant,buttheintergenerationalexchangehasnotgotunderwaybecauseofdelaysinfittingsecurityshuttersbeforeinstallingtheITequipmentinthecommunity centre. This is shortly to be resolved and the project will move forward. Evidence from this project will informthefinalevaluationreport.

THCHhasbeenabletostartasimilarintergenerationalprojectinadifferentcentre,fundedbyAwardsforAll,andworkingwithSomali,Bengaliandwhitecommunitiestoassist with training. This project was inspired by age2age, and on the strength of both of these projects, THCH has securedagrantfromtheRayneFoundationand LBTowerHamlets,fundinginpartnershiptoexpand theirintergenerationalactivities.Thefundingwillpayforaprojectmanagerandexpensesforfivevolunteerstodeliver IT training in community centres in Bethnall Green and Shadwell.

Thisisagoodexampleofhowseedgrantsfrom age2agehaveledtoreplicationoftheworkina housingassociation.


Genesis Community in partnership with Manor House Development Trust / Hackney HomesGenesisCommunityisthecharitablefoundationforGenesis Housing Group, a large registered landlord with over40,000propertiesinLondonandtheSouthEastina diverse range of tenures. It is the mission of Genesis Communitytomakearealchangetopeople’slivesandtotheircommunities.ThisisdonebyworkingwithresidentsandtheircommunitiesacrossLondonandtheSouthEasttochallengesocial&economicdeprivation.

Genesis Community formed a partnership with Manor HouseDevelopmentTrust(MHDT)todevelopanage2age project on Woodberry Down, a large housing estate in NorthEastHackney.MHDTevolvedaspartoftheexitstrategy for the seven year £22.5 million Woodberry DownandStamfordHillSingleRegenerationBudget(SRB)6 Partnership, which came to an end in March 2007. As part of the SRB, Woodberry Down was allocated £13.5 million for a housing improvement programme. Since 2002,a£1billion22yearhousingregenerationschemehas started at Woodberry Down, one of the largest redevelopment projects in Britain. Local residents are keentoparticipateinandbenefitfromthisinvestment.

The Woodberry Down Estate is one of the largest in the UK.Itisamongstthemostdeprivedurbanareaswithone super output area of Woodberry Down in the top 3% mostdeprivedinthewholeoftheUK.Communityspirithas been dampened by the number of changes the estate hasfaced,forexample,residentsbeingmovedtoanotherpartoftheestateandfluctuationsinthedeliveryofgoodintentionssetbypublicbodies.

The Resource Centre on the edge of the estate was not previously used by the community. Projects run attheCentrewerechargedforandattractedpeoplefrom outside the Borough. The age2age project was committedtoworkingwithlocalprovidersandresidentsandbuildingarelationshipbetweenthegenerations,breakingdownstereotypes,reducingfearandcreatingnew friendships. The focus was an Arts Project so the communitycouldparticipateintheartsthatmaybetheyhadnotexperiencedbefore.Threesetsofactivitiesweredeveloped–apotteryclass,acommunitychoiranda

dance group. The community is rich in cultural diversity, sotheflexibilityofthechosenartsmediumswouldallowresidentstoexpressthemselvesaswellasprovideabasisfor discussion.

Approximately45residentsagedfrom5to55participateddirectly in the project, although many more of the community watched the events. A community event in March to celebrate the achievements of a partner project Well London and age2age had an audience of over 100 peopleofmixedagesandculturesallenjoyingtheevent.

The outcomes of the project have been:• reachingresidentswhohavenotparticipatedin

communityactivitiesbefore,andinparticularagroup of Bangladeshi women and their families who professionals have found hard to engage:“Coming here has made me feel much better. I have met people I did not know.” (Young Bangladeshi woman);

• improvedmentalhealth:oneexamplewasanolderwhite woman who had become very isolated on the estatethroughpreviousexperienceofharassmentfrom young people. A friend had suggested she came along to the Centre and joined the choir, and now she washappytogoout,barriershadbeenbrokendownandherconfidenceimproved;

• newfriendshipsbetweendifferentgenerations and cultures in the community: this was evidenced at the sessions through enquiries about each others’week,praisingeachothers’workand giving encouragement or sharing ideas when another showed uncertainty.

• increaseinskills,knowledgeandconfidence:throughthepotterysession,theparticipantsofallageshaveincreasedtheirskills,knowledgeandconfidence.ThisskilldevelopmentisseenasimportantforempoweringtheresidentstonegotiateandplayanequalroleaspartnersintheregenerationofWoodberryDown.

MHDTandGenesiswanttocontinueworkingtogetherto develop and strengthen their partnership. They are applying for a further age2agegranttoharnesstheskillsand energy developed from this project and to sustain the intergenerationalactivitytheprojecthasstarted.

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East Potential and Home-start Barking and DagenhamEastPotentialisasocialandeconomicregenerationcharity and a subsidiary of East Thames group, a large housinggroup.ItworksacrossEastLondonandEssexto empower local people to create a brighter future forthemselvesandmakeacontributionwithintheircommunities.Theyprovidespecialistaccommodationandsupport through their foyer programme.

AgranttoHome-startBarkingandDagenham,inpartnershipwithEastPotential,wasagreedinJanuary2010,tosupportanintergenerationalprojectinvolvingmid-age range adults in providing support to teenage parentslivingattheBarkingandDagenhamFoyer.Unfortunately,followingaconsiderableamountofdevelopmentworkbythepartnership,Home-startBarkingandDagenhamceasedtoexistinSeptember2010and the grant was returned to HACT.

PlansweremadeforEastPotentialtotakeovertheproject, re-applying to age2age for funds to develop and run the project, using its own volunteer infrastructure for supportingvolunteers.Asdevelopmentworkwasgettingunderway,amergerofEastPotentialandEastLiving,both subsidiaries of East Thames, began. This major organisationalrestructuringhasmeantplansforthefoyer’s age2age workareheldinabeyance,althoughthehousinggroupiscommittedtoestablishingaproject.ItishopedanapplicationwillbeinplacebyJune2011.

Look Ahead Housing and Care LookAheadHousingandCareisaregisteredcharityandhousingassociation,whichfocusesonprovidingcareandsupport. It supports around 3,500 people across London andtheSouthEasteveryweek.Itsupportspeople,who without support might be living on the streets, or strugglingtocopewithdailylife.LookAheadoffersthema home, support and stability, helping them to move towards a more independent future.

InOctober2009,LookAheadreceivedasmallgrantforafeasibilitystudytoassesspossibilitiesforworkinvolvingyoungLookAheadresidentsinintergenerationalworkwith older residents in the local community. Magic Me were engaged to facilitate four events between young

people at the Gateway Foyer and older people at the BlackEldersGroup.Sevenyoungmen,tenolderwomenand two older men were involved in various stages of theconsultation.

Unfortunately,theprojectwasnotabletosustaintheinterestandparticipationofthemembers.Possiblereasons for this include the limited hours available to meettogetherandclashoftimingsforyoungpeoplewithothercommitments.Moreworkwasneededtorecruit young people, and older people would need to be preparedtomeetintheeveningandweekends.MagicMeconcludedthatmoredevelopmentworkwasrequiredforbothgenerations.

Basedontheresultsofthefeasibilitystudy,LookAheaddecidednottoseekfurtherfunds.

Old Ford Housing Association and Newtons SchoolOldFordHousingAssociation,whichwassetupin1998asthesuccessortoTowerHamletsHousingActionTrust,alsoreceivedstocktransferredfromTowerHamlets.Ithasredeveloped more than 1,000 homes on three estates in Bow and established a thriving community development programme for residents and local people. OFHA has joined Circle Anglia Group, a large housing group operatingacrossLondonandtheEastofEngland,anditsworknowextendstootherLondonboroughs,inadditionto Tower Hamlets.

Old Ford applied for an age2age grant in partnership with Newtons primary school. The aim of the project was todevelopanintergenerationalgardeningprojectonOrchardVillage(formerlyMardyke)EstateinHavering.Theworkbeganinspring2010,withtwoolderpeople,a younger adult and twelve primary school children involved. The age range was 7 to 9 year olds, with two adults over 80 years. Both males and females were involvedandtheethnicbackgroundswerediverse.

Thisprojectculminatedinanintergenerationalconsultationprocessleadingtothepurchaseofshrubsandplants,toconsolidatetheintergenerationalgardeningworkthathadtakenplace.Learningfromthisprojectwillinformthefinalstagesoftheage2age project.


AtotalofsixcommunitygrantswereawardedinCumbriainthefirstyearofage2age. The Cumbria groups started earlierthanEastLondonandfiveoftheCumbriangroupsare in the process of applying for years 2 and 3 grants.

Twohousingorganisationshavebeeninvolvedandinthree of the projects tenants and residents groups are takingthelead.Thishasthepotentialtohaveagreaterimpactoncommunitiesandleadtomoreopportunitiesforsustainability.Thiswillbefurtherexploredinthefinalphaseoftheproject.ThehousingassociationsareImpactHousing and Home Group.

ImpactHousinghas3,000propertiescoveringthewholeofCumbria.Aswellasitsstockofgeneralneedsrentedhousing, it is Cumbria’s biggest landlord of supported housing,withover500propertiesandbedspaces.ThelargestconcentrationofhousingisinWorkington,whereitowns800propertiesthatweretakenasastocktransferfrom the local authority. Impact runs both of Cumbria’s Foyers,inPenrithandKendal,andownsthreeextracareelderlyschemes,allinSouthLakes.Age2age projects are inWorkington,PenrithandDentonHolmeinCarlisle.

HomeGroupisoneofthelargestnationalhousinggroupswithstockinanumberofregionsalthoughitiscurrentlyconsolidatingitsstockinspecificareasanddevelopinglocally responsive and driven services, including in terms of neighbourhood investment. Age2age projects supported by Home Group are in Whitehaven, West Cumbria on the Mirehouse and Woodhouse estates and on other estates throughout West Cumbria involved in the European Neighbours Day events.

Fourorfivegenerationfamiliesarequitecommonontheestates in West Cumbria because families did not move very far away and children have tended to want to stay neartheirparents.Therearesomemultigenerationalfamilieslivingtogetherbutmostpeopleliketheirown

independence and want their own property. In spite of lots of developments and an improvement in community confidence,however,youngpeopleandolderresidentsstilldonothaveagreatunderstandingandrespectofeachotheranditwasfeltthatintergenerationalworkwasimportantinthenextstageofdevelopment.

Salterbeck Residents Association and Impact HousingSalterbeckestateisontheedgeofWorkingtonandwasoriginallybuilttohouseworkersfromScotlandwhocametoWestCumbriatoworkinthesteelworks.Whenthesteelworksandtheminesclosed,theeconomicheartofthispartofWestCumbriawasseverelyeffected.This resulted in long-term unemployment and second-generationunemploymentontheestate,contributingtoSalterbeckgoingintoadownwardspiral.Aregenerationproject was developed in the mid 1990s and the housingstockwastransferredfromthelocalauthority to Impact Housing.

AcommunityconsultationexerciseatSalterbackwasattendedby62peopleagedbetween8and100years, of whom half were between 10 and 20 years of age. Theydecidedoncreatingapieceofartworkthatwouldbe appreciated in the local community centre and replacetheexistingartwork.Theythenworkedtogetherovertwelvemonthscreatingtheartworkwhichwaslaunchedatawellattendedcommunityevent.Theoutcomes were:• improvedcommunicationandunderstandingbetween

thegenerations;• relationshipsformedbetweenresidentsofdifferent

ages;• communityartworkcompletedofwhichresidentsof

allageshavesharedownership;• afoundationestablishedfromwhichtodevelopmore

intergenerationalwork:“Because we can get to know new people even if they are oldies” (young person);

4 Activities in Cumbria

CumbriaisalargeruralcountyintheNorthWestofEngland.In2009,itspopulationwas495,043,andisprojectedtoincreaseupto2030,inparticularpeopleover40yearsold.TheproportionofthepopulationinCumbriafromblackandminorityethnicgroupsisestimatedtobe4%.Itwaschosentocompareage2age in a rural area against an inner city one.

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“It has got the younger ones talking more and helped the older ones to think younger” (older person);

“The community can see you are building a different generation, pass on the good things….” (Salterbeck residents).

SalterbeckResidentshaveappliedforasecondgranttodevelopfurthertheiractivities.Theyareusinglearningfromthefirstphaseofage2age toworkwithsmallergroupsinitially,beforebringingthegenerationstogetherwhentheyhavegainedconfidencewitheachother.Theyalsothinkitisimportanttohavesimilarnumbersofolderandyoungerpeople.Theaimsofthenextgrantare:• tofurtherdeveloprelationshipsbetweentheages;• todevelopacommunityfilmthatwillraiseawareness

withawideraudienceaboutthedifferencesand,moreimportantly,thesimilaritiesbetweenthegenerationsandtheirfeelingsabouttheircommunity;

• toembedintergenerationalworkinthecommunityandtodevelopafoundationforthisworktocontinue;

• foragroupofresidentsofdifferentagestotaketheleadindevelopinganddeliveringaproject/activity.

Mirehouse Residents Group and Woodhouse Action Group, Home GroupMirehouse and neighbouring Woodhouse estates in South Whitehaven were originally built by Copeland Council and werepartofthestocktransfer(3,787homes)toCopelandHomes/HomeHousingthattookplacein2004.Theestates are situated south of the town in an inaccessible area,poorlyservedbytransportandanylocalfacilities.

Mirehouse is a compact estate with old well-built councilhousing,buttheareahassufferedfromabadreputationparticularlyassociatedwithdrugabuse.Unemploymentishighamongstestateresidents andemploymentopportunitiesareverylimited. The Mirehouse Residents Group could only readily identifyonetwo-parenthouseholdontheestate,althoughthecommunityissettled.Manyresidentshavelived there all their lives and people rarely leave. Money isscarceandthereislittletospareforchildrentohavetreats or trips.

With the tenants on Woodhouse and Mirehouse estatesexperiencingmanyofthesamedifficulties,theneighbourhood team leader from Home Housing has beenencouragingthemtocooperateandworktogetheronsimilarintergenerationalissues.Bothgroupshavenowformed partnerships with Young Cumbria.

Mirehouse has been holding community events in its community centre. The age2age grant has provided Mirehouse Residents Group with a space in the community centre to organise events and bring the generationstogether.Ithasheldmulti-generationalcommunityevents:50peoplefromallgenerationsattendedafishandchipsupperfollowedbyagameofbingo at the local community centre. Another fun day involved 50 people ranging in ages from one year to over 80years.ARoyalweddingpartydrewinallgenerationsand a Silver Surfer event, where the young people showed theolderoneshowcomputerswork,ledtosevenolderpeoplewantingtostartthecomputercourse.

TripshavebeenarrangedtotheTheatrebytheLakeinKeswickandalsotoamatchatManchesterUnitedfootball stadium. Mirehouse Residents Group are now creatingacommunitygardenwithagroupoflocalschoolchildrenwhogotothegardenregularlyandworkwiththeresidents. Home Housing cleared the site and the building ofthebedswasdonebylocalyoungmenonprobation.

The outcomes on Mirehouse have been an improved communityspiritandmoreinteractionbetweenthegenerations.Therearesignstheyarehelpingtoraisetheaspirationsofyoungpeople,asoneresidentexplained:

“Some of the children were taken to the Theatre by the Lake. When it was suggested the kids said, ‘it’s not for people like us’. Well they went and had a fantastic time. It’s getting them to believe they are as good as the next person. But when people keep telling them they are not, its hard to make them believe at times.”

TheMirehouseResidentsGrouphavegainedconfidenceintheirabilitytomakechangesontheirestateandtheyare building on their successes by applying for a further grant from age2age.


Woodhouse Action GroupTheresident’sactiongrouppartneredwithYoungCumbria, the local youth partnership supported by Home Group. Before age2age, the groups operated separately, butjointinterestshavebeendeveloped.Forexampletheintergenerationalbakingdayandsubsequentcakesalewas to raise funds for a Young Cumbria sponsored charity initiative,whenothersponsorsdidnotmaterialise.

AfterthevisittoAfrica,WoodhouseActionGrouphadpresentationsfromtheyoungpeopleabouttheirtripto The Gambia. This has led to discussions about how thewholegroupcouldhelpsupportlocalinitiativesinGambia.Anumberofdifferentviewshavebeenairedanddebatedbetweenthegenerations.

Therehavealsobeenoutingsarrangedtodifferentvenuesandactivities.Twomembersarenoworganisingbingosessions that are popular with younger and older people. Twoyoungpeoplehavejoinedtheresidentsactiongroup.

The outcomes are that the younger people feel more supported by the older members of the community. Friendshipshavedevelopedandthereismoreinteraction.

“If I’m in town, (the young people) shout and run over and talk to you. Saw them in a completely different light.” (resident in Woodhouse)

“Important for people to have a chat, people really start talking – young people (from the youth partnership) would not have talked to me before.” (older resident in Woodhouse)

WoodhouseActionGroupisapplyingforafurthergranttobuildontheworkthathasbeenstarted.

Home Group: European Neighbours DayNeighbourhoodRegenerationandResidentInvolvementOfficersatHomeGroupusedthefirstyear’sgrantfromage2age to build on two previous European Neighbours Day events. They encouraged local community groups in WestCumbriatoholdintergenerationaleventsin2010;13groupsappliedandninegroupstookupthechallengeto organise events.

Therationalebehindtheinitiativewasthatsomeresidents,particularlytheelderlyandyoungmums,donotalwaysmixresultinginisolation.Incomersparticularlyfromotherareasofthecountryareoftenkeptatadistanceandnottrusted.Conflictbetweentheyoungerandoldergenerationsisevidentthroughnuisanceissuesandtheperceptionseachhasoftheother.

The outcomes from the event were:• an improvement in the way the events were

organisedandorganisersaredevelopingtheirskillandconfidence,particularlyresidentsgroups;

• there is evidence that some of the barriers between generationsareloweringandabetterunderstandingisdevelopingslowly;

• activityofresidentsgroupsisoftenslowduetotheirskillsandcapacitybutalsointermsofencouragingneighbourstocometogether;

• itisreallyworthwhileasagrassrootsapproach;• residentsarecontinuingtodevelopconfidenceand

understanding of the processes involved. North Copeland Youth Partnership, one of the groups in Parton,havebeenworkingtogetherforfiveyearstoholda village fun day. They have seen the young people of the villagemoreinvolvedinvillageeventsandareductioninanti-socialbehaviourandresidentscomplaints.

Learningfromtheinitiativewasthatsomegroupsheldevents with younger and older age groups where the younger age group provided entertainment but there was verylittlesocialinteraction.Itwasfeltthatthegroupsmissed the point.

Asaresult,theNeighbourhoodRegenerationOfficer atHomeGroupheldaverysuccessfulintergenerationallearningeventinApril2011.Approximately30peopleattendedthedayandparticipantswereamixofHomeGroup’sregenerationstaffandlocalresidentsgroups,includingWoodhouseCommunityActionGroupandSalterbeckResidentsAssociation(ImpactHousing). Therewasinformationabouthowtorunintergenerationalinitiativesandasharingofpracticeactivitiesbetweenthegroups.Itwasalivelyandstimulatingevent.

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Oneoftheobjectivesofthelearningeventswasforthegroupstoformpartnershipstotakeprojectsforwardata community level. A follow up age2age grant would be match funded with Home’s Community Investment Fund. Home group, however, is undergoing a major restructuringwherealltheirstaffwillbegenericworkersrather than having a specialist community development NeighbourhoodRegenerationteam.Thiscouldimpactonhowthenextyear’sgrantistakenforward.

Eden Rural Foyer and Age Concern Eden (now Age UK Carlisle and Eden)Eden Rural Foyer, part of Impact Housing, was one of thefirstage2age projects to receive a grant in 2009. EdenRuralFoyerpredominantlyworkswithyoungpeopleofages16–25.Theyhadanongoingworkingpartnership with Age Concern, and together they aimed tobreakdownbarriersandbuildrelationshipsbetweenthedifferentclientgroups.Ithadbeenidentifiedthatbothgroupshadmanysimilarities,forexample,financialexclusionandruralisolation.Theprojectaimedtobringthetwogroupstogetherandshareskills.Itwashopedtopromote a greater understanding and respect between thegenerations.

Theprogrammeranoversixmonthsinvolvingintergenerationalactivitiesinthecommunity.Acommunityconsultationtookplacewithover100questionnairesdistributedtovariousvenues,including schools, youth centres and day centres. The questionnairesaskedaboutthekindsofactivitiesyoungerandolderpeoplewouldliketotakeplace.

Forexample,agamessessionwasheldwithapproximately15olderpeople,andfiveyoungpeople.Theyoungpeoplehelpedtheoldergenerationtobowland play tennis on the Nintendo Wii system. The older people helped the younger ones with playing dominoes and scrabble.

The outcome of the project was that although the activitieswereslowtosetoff,throughword–of–mouth,publicity,adverts,andsometimeschangingthevenue,thepartners felt they succeeded in bringing the two groups together in a way that had not happened before. The

partners were concerned there is a strong move to more activitiesbeingdesignedforparticularagegroups.Theyfoundthatintergenerationallearning/activitieshadthepotentialtobringhugebenefitsforthepeoplewhotakepart, as well as their families and the wider community.

Theylearntthatgettingpeopletogetherfortheprogrammewastime-consuming;eventhoughtheyhadaprogrammeinplaceandhadadvertisedwell,theyhadtofollowupcontinuallywithphonecalls.Itdid,however,worktotaketheprojectoutintopeople’sresidencies,rather than supplying them with transport to bring them into a separate venue.

DuetostaffchangesattheFoyerandatAgeUKCarlisleandEdenitisnotcurrentlypossibletocontinuetheworkso no further grant is being sought.

Centre 47, CarlisleDenton Holme in Carlisle is one of Impact Housing’s bases. The area was once home to a long established and close community. In recent years the community has changedasthefactories,whichtraditionallyprovidedemployment, have closed and people have had to move forwork.Employmentlocallyisnowfocussedonsmallshopsorpeopleworkinthecitycentre.ImpactHousingownspropertiesintheDentonHolmeareabutthesearescatteredandspreadoutoverstreetsofoldterracedhouses.

Over some years Impact Housing has established the area arounditsoffices.Thereisnowafurniturestore,officesforotherorganisationsandCentre47,whichprovidesa cafe and conference centre. The cafe could be a good facility for local groups and though open to the public and tosomeextentusedbythemandbylocalgroups,ithasnotbeenaplacewheredifferentgenerationshavecometogether to build a greater understanding between them.

Through the age2age grant a community day was arranged for residents. The purpose of the day was:• fordifferentgenerationstotalktooneanother;• foratripplannedandattendedbymixedagegroup;• forthevoluntaryplanninggrouptoplantrip;• tomakemorecontactsinDentonHolme.


The outcome was that the aim of the day was achieved infullwithenoughpeopleofdifferentagesinterestedinplanninganotherevent.Approximately55residentsagedbetween1and70yearsattendedtheevent.Atripwasplannedandpeopleofdifferentagesandbackgroundswent to South Shields for a day out.

Thekeylearningfromtheeventwasthattherewasaneedtodeveloprelationshipswithdifferentgenerationsandtobuilduptheirconfidencebeforebringinggroupstogether. Following this successful beginning to the project,thestaffplannedtotalktolocalImpactHousingstaffabouttheeventandtodiscusshowImpactHousingcould support people plan events in the future. It was felt housingstaffcouldutilisethisasawayoffulfillingtheircommitments to consult with local residents.

Impact Housing is preparing to apply for another age2age grant to build on this successful start in bringing the generationstogether.

Homeshare Eden districtIn 2009 age2age funded the development of a Homeshare scheme in Eden District, Cumbria. This followedascopingexercisecarriedoutin2007todeterminethelevelofpotentialinterestinthescheme.Telephone interviews were carried out with relevant agenciesinCumbriaandsubsequentlyamultiagencysteeringcommitteesupportedbytheage2age co-ordinator, was set up to:• investigatetheneedandviabilityofaHomeshare

schemeinEdendistrict;• dependingontheoutcomeof(1)above,putin

place the funding and necessary infrastructure for a HomeshareschemeinEdendistrict;

• recruitstaffasappropriatefortheproperrunningofthescheme;

• ensure the legal requirements for a Homeshare scheme and appropriate governance arrangements are put in place.

ItwaschairedbytheChiefofficerofAgeConcernEden(nowAgeUKCarlisleandEden)andsupportedbyImpactHousingEdenRuralFoyer.Oneofthefirsttasksofthecommitteewastocommissionacommunityconsultationto establish the need for/interest in Homeshare because

itwasfeltthattherewasinsufficientknowledgeaboutthescheme amongst the public and the appropriate agencies andthatitwasimportanttotacklethisasafirststep.

The research was carried out in two phases in August and October 2009, with 57 interviews being conducted with29youngpeople(aged15to25)and28olderpeople(agedover60).Ofthoseinterviewed,75%wereenthusiasticaboutHomeshare.Therewereonlythreenegativeresponses,despitetherebeingevidenceoflittlemixingbetweenolderandyoungerpeople.

OneoftheotherpointsidentifiedbythesteeringcommitteewasaneedtodeveloprelationshipsbetweenyoungerandolderpeopleincommunitiesbeforeHomesharecouldflourish.Therationaleforthiswasthenegativestereotypingofthegenerationsandtheirperceptionsofeachother.

HeadleyTrusthadinvestedoverthefirsttwoyearsof age2ageintheinitialdevelopmentofHomesharein Mendip, which for a variety of reasons was not deemedsuccessfulenoughtoattractfurtherfunding.Substantiallearningandpoliciesandprocedureswereproduced, however, and Cumbria, in the early stages of developingHomeshare,seizedtheinitiative,puttingthelearningfromMendipintopracticetherebylayingfirmerfoundationsforamoresuccessfuloutcome.

As a consequence, funding was received from HACT, and aparttimeco-ordinatorappointedinSeptember2010todevelop Homeshare in Eden District Cumbria. There has also been a small age2age grant awarded to develop a promotionalfilmthroughbringinglocalgroupsofyoungand older people together.

A more detailed report focused on the learning from HomeshareinCumbriaandMendipanditsrelationshiptothe housing sector will be published in November 2011.

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Intergenerational practice as more than community development Communitydevelopmentisakeypillarofsuccessfulengagementofthegenerationsandage2age demonstratesthatwherehousingorganisationshaveastrongcommunitydevelopmentfocus,intergenerationalpracticecanbesuccessfullytakenforward.ForexampleinSalterbeck,WestCumbria,engagementandempowerment of the community had created a strong resident’sassociation.Thisprovidedasoundbasistotakeforwardintergenerationalactivitiesandfurtherstrengthen the community.

In East London, the Manor House Development Trust hasworkedalongsideresidentsontheWoodberryDownestatetoimproveparticipationandempowerthecommunitytomakechangesforthemselves.Thishasprovidedastrongbasetotakeforwardafocusonthecontributionsofthedifferentgenerations.

Learning so far from the age2age projects, however, shows the importance of other mechanisms as well as community development approaches if intergenerationalunderstandingistobeachieved. Onehousingmanagerdescribedintergenerationalpracticeas,“More than community development”. Bringing a whole community together for events may notnecessarilystrengthentherelationshipsbetweengenerations:particularattentionneedstobepaidinage2age totheexistenceofdifferentattitudesofgenerationswithinbroadagebands,otherwisethere isadangerthatlittlewillbeachievedinestablishingintergenerationalunderstanding;atworstnegativestereotypes will be reinforced.6

Inoneproject,learningfromthefirstphaseinformedtheirdecisioninthenextphasetobringthegenerationstogetherinseparategroupsinordertoexploreexistingstereotypes and misunderstandings before coming together as a whole group. In the second phase of Salterbeck,theyplantohavesmallergroupsofyoungerand older people engaging together and also to have equalnumbersofthegenerations.Thiswouldhelptopreventonegenerationfromdominatingtheothers.Another project in Cumbria brought local age2age projectstogethertooffertrainingonintergenerationalpracticeandwaystoengagegenerations.

Karinhousingassociationhasintroducedaculturallysensitivedimensiontothisimportantissue.Initiallytheage groups were brought together separately and also in gender separate groups, that is Somali young women, Somali young men, and older Somali men and women met together in four separate groups to discuss the issues thatconcernedthem.Thisallowedthemtotalkmorefreely and decide on how they would share their feelings which each other before coming together in a whole groupofmixedgenderandages.

Engaging all generationsAge2ageisexploringhowdifferentgenerationscomingtogether and developing a greater understanding of each other’s needs, can improve the quality of life for older andyoungerpeoplelivingincommunities.Clarityaboutwhich groups of people this means is an important focus of age2age. ‘Older people’ covering all adults over 50 is toowideadefinitionforintergenerationalworkbecausethisdefinitioncanpotentiallyincludethreegenerationswithverydifferentlifeexperiencesandcharacteristics.7

5 Emerging themes

Section5looksatthethemesthatareemergingsofarfromananalysisofthe13age2age grants, with the majority of the data being drawn from nine projects across East London and Cumbria. The themes represent early signsorindicationsofchange,andthesewillbebuiltonanddevelopedastheevaluationprogresses.Thefinalphaseoftheevaluationwillfocusinparticularonwhatintergenerationalpracticecanbringtothehousingsector.Theprocessofassessingthisisanexplicitconditionofthefinalroundofage2age grants.

6 MooreSandStathamE(2006),Can intergenerational Practice offer a way of limiting anti-social behaviour and fear of crime? The Howard Journal: 45, 5: 468-484

7 GranvilleG(2002),A Review of intergenerational practice in the UK, StokeonTrent:CentreforIntergenerationalPractice

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Similarly,iftheaimofanintergenerationalprojectistoreduceanti-socialbehaviour,‘youngpeople’wouldmeanengaging those in the teenage years rather than all young people,suchasprimaryschoolchildren(theissueofanti-socialbehaviourisdevelopedfurtherinsection6).

Age2ageisalsolearningaboutthedifferenttriggersforengagementrequiredtoengageallgenerations:

“IP consciously includes young and old. Positive action is required to engage everyone in communities; they need to be engaged in different ways” (A national stakeholder in intergenerational practice).

Forexample,engagementofyoungmotherswillbedifferenttoworkingwithschoolchildren.Likewise,engagingpeopleinthemiddlegenerationwhomaybeworkingrequiresadifferentapproachtoreachingolder,retiredpeoplelivinginsupportedhousing.OneprojectinEastLondonfoundthatintergenerationalactivitiesintheafternoondidnotworkwellforyoungpeoplewhohaddaytimecommitments,butintheeveningsolderpeopledidnotwanttocomeouttomeetings.

Thecontributionofeachgenerationtoeachotherandtotheircommunitiesisanotherimportantelementifwearetounderstandandimprovetheinteractionsbetweengenerations.Age2age hasmanyexamplesofthedifferentcontributionsthegenerationsaremakingtoeachotherandtothecommunity.Forexample,inWoodhouse,WestCumbria,theresidentsassociationofpredominantlyolderresidents,heardpresentationsfromtheyoungpeopleabout their intended visit to The Gambia. This led to the residents group giving funding to the young people when otherexpectedsponsorshipdidnotdevelop.

In Poplar, East London, the older people appreciated the younger people being able to do many of the physical tasksrequiredtocreatethecommunitygarden.Theyreciprocatedbyofferinganon-judgementalapproachtotheyoungpeoplewhowerelearningnewskills.InTowerHamlets,theyoungpeopleareofferingcomputerskillstraining to older people for them to use computers.

The importance of focusAge2ageisdemonstratingtheimportanceofhavingafocusorcatalystforbringingthegenerationstogether.This relates to the two themes above, reinforcing the fact thatjustbyputtingallgenerationstogetherinoneroomwillnotnecessarilybringharmonybetweengenerations.

Age2age projects are using a range of catalysts determinedbytheneedsofthecommunity.Forexample,Manor House Development Trust wanted to introduce artsbasedactivitiesasthesehadbeenidentifiedaslackingontheWoodberryDownestate;achoir,potteryclassesanddancehavebeentriedandthepotteryand choir proved to be the most successful in bringing thegenerationstogether.Thedanceprojectwaslesssuccessfulbecausethegenerationshaddifferenttastesinmusicanddifferentstaminalevels.

InSalterbeck,thegenerationswereunitedinwantingto produce a new and more relevant mural for the community centre. In Mirehouse and Poplar, a community garden has been the focus. One young man in Poplar explaineditthisway:

“Everyone needed something to talk about. If you just got together no-one is actually going to talk to each other, different generations don’t usually talk to each other. But having a focus is good, talk about one thing and then it grows from there.”

Tripsandeventshavebeenthefocusin,forexample,Mirehouse and Denton Holme. These are important ways ofbringingcommunitiestogetherbutattentionneedsto be paid to how decisions are made and whether they havetakenaccountofthewishesandinterestsofallthedifferentgenerationsengaged.Thisisathemethatcanbedevelopedfurtherinthefinalstageofage2age.

Strengthening communities and cohesionWhilstitistooearlytodrawdefiniteconclusions,evidencefromtheinterimevaluationsuggeststhatage2age,throughbringingthegenerationstogetheranddevelopingcommonunderstanding,hasthepotentialtopromotemorecohesiveandintegratedcommunities.


Thisappearstobeparticularlytruewheresocialcapitalislowandgroupsincommunitieshavebecomeisolatedanddisconnected from each other. One housing manager said:

“The pottery classes have brought people together, improved community cohesion. You see people greet each other across the estate, there is a sense of community, relationships forming, people coming together who would never have done before.”

Ahousingofficeronanotherestatehadseenthedifferencesincetheolderandyoungerpeoplehadcometogether on an age2age gardening project:

“Down the market – I step back and think ‘that older person is talking to a younger person’. You don’t normally see that, but now a big group of younger people know the elders (on the estate).”

It appears that age2age is developing a greater understandingbetweenthegenerations,whichcancontributetomorecohesiveandvibrantcommunitiesthatworktogethertoimprovetheirneighbourhoods.Some of the estates in East London and South Whitehaven,forexample,arefindingthatbringingthegenerationstogetherisawaytheycandiscussissuesofmutualconcernandlookforsolutions.Communitygardens in East London and Cumbria are one way of using disusedlandandmakinguseofgreenspaces.

Raisingaspirationscreatescommunitiesthataremore sustainable and able to contribute to their neighbourhoods. Age2age is showing promising signs of buildingconfidenceinthegenerations;oneexampleisthesupport of older people at the community garden in East Londonthatenabledyoungpeopletotryoutnewskillsinasafe,non-judgementalatmosphere.AnotherexampleisthedifferentgenerationsintheSomalicommunitybeingable to share their misunderstandings with each other.

Throughthelearningactivitiesandopportunitiesprovidedby age2age,thereisevidenceofincreasedconfidenceandraisedaspirationsofprofessionalsandcommunityworkerswhoworkindisadvantagedcommunities.Astheirskillsinintergenerationalpracticehaveincreasedandthe

opportunityarisentosharepracticewithotherprojectsin other parts of England, professionals and community membershavebeenabletoreflectontheoutcomesofthegoodworktheyhavedoneandalsolookforsolutionstocomplexproblems.

Improving racial harmonyTwo age2age projects in East London shed light on theinterrelationshipsbetweenrace,ethnicity,newandlongerestablishedcommunitiesandage,andhowintergenerationalpracticemayimproveracialharmony.Onestakeholderinterviewedspokeoftheincreasingpolarisationofthegenerationsinsomecommunitiesbecauseofracialdifferences,inparticularolderWhiteresidentsandyoungerBlackandAsianpeople.

There are encouraging signs from these two projects that bringinggenerationstogethermayimproverelationshipsand promote greater understanding between and withindifferentculturesandethnicgroups.ASomaligroupofelders,forexample,learntabouttheproblemstheir young people faced and developed a greater understanding of how they could support them. In WoodberryDown,Hackney,age2age brought together differentgenerationsinmutualartsbasedactivities.Thisincluded a Bangladeshi group of women who had not beeninvolvedwithcommunityactivitiesinthepast.Ahousingmanagerexplained:

“A Bangladeshi group who have been very hard to engage (on the estate) are now attending the pottery classes, which is a massive breakthrough here.”

Moreevidenceisrequiredtoknowifthiswasthenatureoftheactivityortherelationshipwithothergenerations.Learning from age2agewillmakeanimportantcontributioninunderstandinghowtoimproveracialharmonyincommunities.

The importance of partnerships and alliancesPartnerships have been formed which involve other sectors,forexamplethepartnershipinCumbriabetweenAgeUKCarlisleandEdenandImpactHousing.InEastLondon,MagicMe,avoluntaryorganisation,offeredtheir

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expertiseandsupportedintergenerationalactivitieswithKarinHousingAssociationandLookAheadHousingandCare. A school has been a partner with Old Ford Housing Associationtodevelopanage2age project and a local MP attendedanage2ageeventwithMirehouseActiongroup,offeringhissupport.ManorHouseDevelopmentTruston Woodberry Down integrated age2age with a larger initiativetheywereinvolvedin,WellLondon,introducinganintergenerationalelementtoacommunityhealthimprovementinitiativefundedthroughtheLondonHealthCommission, Well London Alliance.

Residentsgroupsandtenantsorganisationshavetakenthe lead in some age2ageprojects,offeringthepotentialtoembedintergenerationalpracticeincommunities.These groups have been supported by housing associationssuchasImpactHousingandHomeGroupinCumbria and Poplar HARCA in East London. Funding has also been given to small community groups in Cumbria to developtheirownintergenerationalinitiatives.

Onehousingassociationhasusedthelearningfromitsage2age partnership with HACT to successfully apply for a large grant from another funder in order to build on its intergenerationalactivitiesandembeditinthehousingassociation’swork.

Thereareotherexamplesofpartnershipsacrosshousingorganisationswithteamsworkingtogethertoachievecommon goals. In Impact Housing, the community investment team received resources from the housing teamtosupporttheirobjectives.Similarly,theteamworkingwithyoungpeopleinfoyersislookingforwaystoforgelinkswiththeextracarehousingteam.InHomeGroup,theYoungCumbriaactivitiesarenowlinkedinwith age2age.

Through age2age, HACT has begun a partnership with theBethJohnsonFoundation,acharitabletrust,whichrunstheCentreforIntergenerationalPracticeandoffersexpertiseandresourcesonintergenerationalpractice.Thisispotentiallyanimportantrelationshipforage2age

whereexpertisecanbeshared.Thepartnershiphastakentimetogetestablished,holdingaseminarwithhousingproviders in early 2010.

Inthenextstageofage2age,asprojectsareconsolidatingtheiractivities,thereisthepotentialtodevelopfurtherpartnershipswithinhousingorganisationsandwithothersectors.Thesemightincludemoreexplicitlinkswithsustainablecommunityinitiatives,aswellaswiththeemergingpublichealthroleoflocalauthorities.


• identifyingandrespondingtothechangingneedsinthepopulation;

• theexperienceofpeopleintheirhomes;• theexperienceofpeopleinneighbourhoods.Intergenerationalpracticeisrelevanttoallthesethemes.Ourexperiencefromage2age so far shows promising signsofwhyhousingassociationsmaywishtoconsiderintergenerationalpracticeaspartofamainstreamapproach in the delivery of their services.

Increasing residents and tenants participationTenant involvement and empowerment is a requirement ofhousingassociationsandthereisevidencefromage2agethatintergenerationalactivitycanpromotetenantinvolvementacrossthegenerations.Itisamechanismenablinghousingproviderstoreachsectionsofthecommunitytheydonoteasilyreach,particularlyresidentsfromBlackandMinorityEthniccommunitiesandyoungeragegroups.Traditionallytenantsassociationshave been dominated by older residents.

Practicalbarrierstoparticipationexistsuchaswheneventsandmeetingsareheld(youngpeopleatschoolorworkintheday,olderresidentsnotkeentocomeoutatnight);timeforvoluntaryactivitymayberestrictedforsomegenerationswithworkandfamilycommitments;thestyleofmeetingsmaynotbeengagingforallagegroupsandgendersorfordifferentethnicgroups.Intergenerationalpracticeoffersanopportunitytoexplorethesebarrierstoparticipationandfindsolutions.Onehousingofficerexplained:

“We want younger people to be part of developing the community, more responsible, but (the way they participate) may look different.”

Onestakeholderinterviewedforthisresearchthoughtintergenerationalapproacheswereakeymechanismforyoungpeopletoparticipateinresidents’groups.Thisview

was echoed in some of the age2age projects where there areexamplesofyoungerpeoplebecomingmoreinvolvedinconsultationandparticipationalongsideolderpeople.The advantage of this is that the housing providers have a clearer view of the needs of all their tenants and this can improve housing management.

Anotherstakeholderfeltintergenerationalactivitiespromotedresidentsparticipation,andensuredolderandyounger people “had a seat at the table”.

Reducing anti-social behaviour and vandalismReducinganti-socialbehaviour(ASB)andvandalismisofgreatconcerntohousingprovidersandoftentothetenantsandresidentsincommunities.Onestakeholderclaimedthatanti-socialbehaviourandvandalismwasthebiggestissuehousingassociationsdealwith.Thehousingsector was increasingly being seen as having a lead role inpreventinganddealingwithitasthepolicewithdrawfrom community issues.

Some researchers are arguing that ASB is not well understoodandthatsomebehaviourslabelledanti-socialwouldinfactbebetterviewedasunusualorchallenging.9 Inaddition,youngpeopleingeneralareoveridentifiedormis-identifiedasanti-social,particularlybyretiredpeople.TheactionofpoliceandlocalauthoritiestocriminaliseASBisconsideredtobedistancingthegenerationsfurther.Generationalconflicthasalongstandingtraditionand is currently illustrated in concerns over young people congregatingingroups.Therefore,itisargued,workthat engenders a greater understanding of diversity and toleranceofpeople’sdifferenceswillbebeneficial,withnegotiatednormsofbehaviourencouragingrespect.

ResearchersintheNetherlandsandtheUKsuggestthatgreaterinteractionbetweenyoungandoldisthemosteffectivewayofresolvingintergenerational

6 The benefits of intergenerational practice

HACTprojectsseektoengagehousingprovidersintestinganddevelopingprojectsonthegroundandthentoevaluatehowtheyareworkingtoprovidelastingchangefortenantsandresidents.HACT’sfuturefocusonvulnerableandmarginalisedindividualsandcommunitiescentreson:

9 Millie,Andrew(2007)Looking for anti-social behaviour, The policy press, 35, 4: 611-27

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tensions,leadingtoareductioninASB.10Experiencefrom programmes in the Netherlands shows that contact betweengenerationsdoesnotdevelopofitsownaccordand that it is necessary to intervene in some way to get the process started.

It is early days for age2age but there is emerging evidenceintheprojectsthatintergenerationalactivitiesareimprovingunderstandingandsupportingadialoguebetweengenerations.Anintergenerationalfishandchipsupperandbingo,forexample,drewthisresponsefromone of the resident organisers:

“The biggest victory of that night as far as I was concerned was when bingo finished about a dozen of mixed ages sat around a table and listened to the older ones talk about their lives. The bonus of that is people listened to each other, some even had hoodies on (well the young ones did) and nobody was scared. I don’t think they picked up on it.”

Thisinteractioncancreateaninformalstyleofsocialcontrol,whichhasthepotentialtocontributetoreducinganti-socialbehaviour.Thisneeds,however,togoalongsideregenerationactivitiesbecauseASBiscloselyassociatedwithdepriveddistrictsintownsandcities.

One housing group involved in age2age identifiedtheadvantages for business of having a more connected communitybecauseoftheimpactonanti-socialbehaviour and reducing vandalism:

“The impact of anti social behaviour and vandalism on a society that is connected up and is not isolated (is less) because it is much more able to respond to these things.” (Housing Association Director)

One development manager thought it was important youngpeoplewereshownanalternativeto anti-socialbehaviourandcrime,andinvolvement inintergenerationalactivitieswasonewaytodo thatthroughbeingpartofactivitiesthateveryone can enjoy.

Anotherhousingassociationseniormanager,notdirectlyinvolved in age2age, had shown that by involving young peoplemoreincommunityactivitiestheyhad,“designedoutanti-socialbehaviour”ontheirestates.

Making the business case through cost benefitsThe housing directors and managers consulted in this projectwerekeentoknowthecostbenefitstotheirbusinessincarryingoutintergenerationalactivitiesparticularlyasresourcesbecomemorelimited.Onehousingmanagersdescribeditasknowingwhetheractivitiesare“nicetohave”oressential.

Weareawarethatanti-socialbehaviour,vandalism andcriminaldamageincursignificantcoststohousingorganisationsaswellastotheresidentsandtenantslivingintheirproperties.Overrecentyears,socialhousingprovidershavebeenencouragedtotaketheleadinneighbourhoodsintacklinganti-socialbehaviourandspend considerable resources on it.

There are many direct ways resources are being used, suchasthroughtheemploymentofanti-social behaviourteamsandofficers.Resourcesarealsousedinthe wider aspects of housing management, such as the costsinvolvedintakinglegalactionthatcouldresultincourtappearancesandeveneviction.Inadditiontothis,housing providers will spend money on clearing-up the resultsofanti-socialbehaviourandvandalism.

Inatimeoftightresources,itisthereforeimportant tolookatotherwayssociallandlordscaninvesttheirresources that have both a direct and indirect impact onreducinganti-socialbehaviourandtheassociatedcosts.Feedbackthroughthisevaluationhasidentified thatintergenerationalworkishavingabeneficial effectonaddressinganti-socialbehaviour.Inthefinalstageofthisevaluationwewilllookatthisinmore detailandexplorethepotentialcostbenefitsthatinvestinginneighbourhoodbasedintergenerational workcanbring.

10 SteegeGter(2004)Generations in conflict, (forNetherlands)and MooreSandStathamE(2006),Can intergenerational practice offer a way of limiting anti-social behaviour and fear of crime? The Howard Journal:45,5:468-484(fortheUK)


Creating a better place to liveSomestakeholderssharedaviewwearelivinginanincreasinglysegregatedsociety:thiswasidentifiedintheage2ageprojectinCarlisle.Segregationoccursthroughagespecificactivitiesandthroughthewaywelive,leadingtointoleranceandthepotentialforcertaingroupstodominateincommunities.TheprojectinPoplarhasbeensuccessful in developing a community centre where all generationsarewelcome.Previously,thefacilityhadonlybeenusedbyolderresidents.Onestakeholdersaid:

“A good landlord needs to embrace everyone who lives in the community. It should be part of the organisational culture.” (national stakeholder)

Housingassociationshavearegulatoryrequirementtoimprovetheircommunitiesthroughgoodneighbourhoodmanagement and for this they can be held to account. EnlightenedChiefExecutivesalsoknowitmakesfinancialsensetocreateaprideincommunitiesandencouragepeople to be happier. One housing manager claimed that:

“It is important that people want to live in our communities.”

Early signs from age2ageshowintergenerationalactivitiescancontributetothisgoalbysupportingtenantstotakeaprideintheircommunity.OneexamplewasthemuralinSalterbeck,whichbroughtallgenerationstogethertodevelop an art form that captured their feelings about their community.

Developing new partnerships and alliances and removing organisational silosAge2ageisdemonstratinghowintergenerationalactivitycan draw in a range of partners and alliances and meet differentorganisationalpriorities.Itisalsoshowinghowitcanconnectacrossorganisationsandremoveorganisationalsilos.

Ifintergenerationalpracticeistobepartofmainstreamapproachesinhousingorganisations,however,itisalso important to understand how the community

developmentandregenerationareasareintegratedacrosstheorganisationanddonotremaininsilos.Asonestakeholderdescribedit:

“Twelve community development officers in one team can’t influence the culture of an organisation if it does not have a community development culture.”

Similarly,howthevisionandintentionsofdirectorsandseniormanagersisconveyedthroughouttheorganisation,how the vision gets “down and out”, is an important driver for change.

26 | HACT


Community organisations, development workers and Intergenerational practitionersCommunitydevelopmentispartofintergenerationalpractice.Itisalsoanimportantapproachforitsimplementation.Practitionershavetopayattentiontohowtheneedsofthedifferentgenerationscanbemetsothat they all become fully engaged and contribute. This requirestrainingofkeystaffinintergenerationalpracticeandthedevelopmentofapotentialtrainingmodelthatcanbecascadedthroughorganisations.

For intergenerational practice to be embedded in the housing sector, it needs to be part of the organisational culture. If not, there is a danger that it will be pigeonholed into community development silos, with the dangerthatotheropportunities,suchassupportingthedriveforsustainablecommunities,willbemissed.

Age2age has demonstrated that intergenerational practice has to have a focus to bring the generations together.Thefocus,orcatalyst,providesanessentialplatformforintergenerationalunderstandingandbreakingdownnegativestereotypes.

Similaritiesanddifferencesareemergingbetweenintergenerationalactivityinruralandurbanareas.Thiswillbeakeyfocusintheevaluationinthefinal18monthsof the project.

Thelong-termnatureofintergenerationalpracticeinproducingsignificantchangeincommunitiesisacknowledged.Thisrequiresreflectionandconsolidationofwhatworks,inordertobuildonsuccessesanddriveforward change.

Housing associationsIntergenerationalpracticecansupporthousingorganisationstoworkwithintheregulatoryframework.

Thereareindicationsthatintergenerationalpracticecanofferaloweconomiccostsolutiontoa reduction in anti-social behaviour through improving understanding and tolerance between the generations. This will be tested furtherinthenextstagesoftheproject.

Intergenerational practice has the potential to increase tenants and residents participationintheircommunitiesandbringingroupsthattraditionallyhavenotbeenengaged. Age2age willcontinuetoexplorethiselementofintergenerationalpracticeandtesthowactivitiesthatfocusonbringingdifferentgenerationstogethercanalsoengagedifferentethnicgroups,leadingtoimprovedracialunderstanding and harmony.

Wider partnersAge2age presents good evidence of how a small grants programme,whenappliedtoexistinghousingandcommunityactivitiesandstructures,canintroduceanewdimensionofactivity.Bydevelopingaprogrammethathas a year-by-year grant process, successes and learning can be further built on and spread.

Age2age has demonstrated that intergenerational activity can engage a wide range of partners across all sectors in order to contribute towards improved community cohesion.Thereispotentialforthepartnershipstobewidened,particularlywiththeNHS,aspublichealthmovesintolocalauthorities.

Itwouldbebeneficialtostrengthentherelationship withtheBethJohnsonFoundationandtheCentre forIntergenerationalpractice.Anexchangeof expertiseonintergenerationalpracticeandanorganisation(HACT)thatworkscloselywiththe housingsectorhasthepotentialtofurther understandinginbothdomains,andtakeintergenerationalpracticeforward.

7 Key messages

Anumberofkeymessagesandlearninghaveemergedfromthedevelopmentstageofage2age which will be takenforwardandconsolidatedinthenext18months.Themessageshaverelevanceforcommunityorganisationsandintergenerationalpractitioners,housingassociations,widerpartnersandHACT.

28 | HACT

HACT and the final phase of age2ageTheroleofHACTdevelopmentworkersinstimulatingandsupportingage2age’sdevelopmentincommunitiesiscrucial.Itisprobablethefundingreductiontotheage2age grants programme in 2010, which led to a declineininputfromdevelopmentofficers,hasslowedthedevelopmentandsomeofthepotentialofage2age.

HACT may wish to revisit the outcomes of age2age in the lightofthelearningtodateandthechangingpoliticalandeconomicclimate.Aretheoutcomesstillachievable?Cantheybestrengthened?Aretheyambitiousenoughforhousingorganisationstoembrace?Afocusonrolemodelsforyoungpeople,particularlyyoungmen,andthewideningofpartnershipswouldbesomeareastoexplore.

HACTneedstofindmechanismsforinvolvingmoreyoung people in the development of age2age. So far, veryfewyoungpeoplehaveattendedthelearningevents or seminars and their voice is very quiet in the development of age2age anditsemergingfindings.Ifweacceptdifferentapproachesarerequiredtoengagethegenerationsinintergenerationalpractice,thenage2age mustconsiderthetimingsofitslearningevents,visitstoprojectsandevaluationprocesses,sothateveningsandweekendsareutilisedmorefullytoengageyoungpeoplein its learning and development.

Theuseofaself-evaluationapproachtoembedevaluationinorganisationsandaddtotheprogrammedatahasnotbeenentirelysuccessful.Theself-evaluationworkshopshavebeenwellreceivedandgroupshavedevelopedmoreawarenessofevaluation.Thegroupshave, however, required greater support than the age2age resources allow in order to collect all the relevant data. Some evidence has been lost as a result. HACT will need to consider how this can be resolved.


Theevaluationquestionscoverthreelevels:theprogramme level, the project level and the individual (beneficiary)level.

Programme levelOverarchingevaluationaim:togenerateconfidenceandincreasedunderstandingbetweengenerationsbysupportinginitiativesthatbringolderandyoungerpeopletogetherthroughneighbourhoodbasedintergenerationalactivitiesandHomesharearrangements.

Evaluationquestionstobeaddressedatprogramme level are:

1. Towhatextenthasage2agesupportedinitiatives thatbringolderandyoungerpeopletogether? Howsustainablearetheserelationships?

2. Whatlocallybasedinitiativescanbeidentifiedthatbroughtolderandyoungerpeopletogether?Whatarethecoreelementsoftheseinitiativesthatcanbereplicated elsewhere, and which are the elements thataredeterminedbythelocalcontext?

3. How has housing been used as a focus to bring differentgenerationstogether?

4. Whatwerethesimilaritiesanddifferencesinintergenerationalneedsinurbanandruralareas?Whatdifferencesdothehousingcontextinurbanandruralareasmeantointergenerationalneeds,experiencesandchallengesacrossandwithindifferentcommunities?

5. In what way has age2age demonstrated the importanceofmeetingcurrentandfuture housingneeds?

6. Has age2age contributed to community cohesion andbetterqualityoflifeforall?Ifso,whatwerethe successful mechanisms and which were less successful?

7. How successful has age2age been in levering in supportfromhousingassociationpartnersandotherfunders?Whowerethepartnersandwhydidtheysupporttheproject?Hasthisledtosustainabilityofintergenerationalpracticeintheselectedareas? What else has enabled/ not enabled the sustainabilityofprojects?

8. Towhatextenthasintergenerationalpracticebeenembeddedinhousingassociationpolicyandpractice?Whatinfluencehasage2age had in housing policyandpractice,andifso,howandatwhatlevel-national,regional,local?

Project levelOverarchingevaluationaim:todevelopaself-evaluationframeworkforthelocalprojectstomeasuretheirsuccessagainstprojectassumptionsandindicatorsofsuccess.

Therearetwostrandstotheprojectlevelevaluation:• TheHomeshareactivitiesaretestingamodel

ofintergenerationalworkthatcanbe replicatedelsewhere;

• Theneighbourhoodactivitiesaretestingapproachesandconceptstointergenerationalrelationshipstolearnwhatisimportantinthecontextofhousing.

Evaluationquestionstobeaddressedatprojectlevelare:All projects9. Has housing been used as the focus to bring

generationstogether?Ifso,howandforwhom?10. Were the projects able to demonstrate increased

communitycohesionandifso,how?Didtheydemonstrateincreasedintergenerationalunderstanding,andifso,forwhom?

11. Arethemodelssustainable?Havetheyinfluencedlocalhousingpolicyandpractice?Ifso,how?

Homeshare12. WhatarethecharacteristicsoftheHomeshare

modelthatcontributetogeneratingconfidenceandincreasedunderstandingbetweengenerations?

13. WhatarethekeyelementsoftheHomesharemodelthatidentifyitasanage2ageintergenerationalactivity?Whatelementshavebeenadded,orexcluded,inordertoadapttothelocalcontext?What core features of the model are required in orderforittobereplicatedelsewhere?

14. Who are the principle partners involved and to what extentdoesHomesharemeettheirorganisationalobjectives?WhatcentralsupportisrequiredtoenableaHomeshareprojecttobedelivered?

Appendix 1: age2age evaluation questions

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15. WhatspecificapproachesareneededtoensureHomesharebenefitsthegroupsHACTisworkingwith(i.e.workingwithtwovulnerablegroups,olderpeopleandyoungpeopleleavinghomelessness)?

Neighbourhood activities16. Whatarethecharacteristicsoftheneighbourhood

intergenerationalactivities?Whichelementsarecentral to the concept and which need be adapted to alocalcontext?Whoisengagedintheprojects?

17. Canthelocalconditionsbeidentifiedthatenableanage2ageintergenerationalneighbourhoodapproachtotakeplace?Whoarethekeypartners?Wasitpossible to lever in resources, and if so, how and fromwhom?

18. What does this approach tell us about housing’s roleinbuildingintergenerationalrelationshipsinneighbourhoodsandcommunities?

19. Hasthehousingassociations’involvementin age2ageactivityledtomainstreamingintergenerationalapproachesintheirwideractivityandstrategy?Ifso,what?Whathelpsorhindersthis?

Individual levelOverarchingaim:tomeasuretheimpactonthedifferentgenerationsasaresultofbeinginvolvedinage2age. Evaluationquestionstobeaddressedatthislevelare:20. Isitpossibletoidentifycriticalfactorsthatgenerated

confidenceinindividualyoungorolderpeople?Ifso,whatwerethey?Weretheydifferentforyoungpeopleandolderpeople?

21. What were the main features that increased understandingofgenerationaldifferencesinindividualyoungorolderpeople?Werethefeaturesdifferentforeachgeneration?

22. Whatwerethebarriersthatpreventedconfidencebuildingandunderstandingbetweenthegenerationsinindividualolderandyoungerpeople?


Project: Completed by:

Issues / context

Rationale Inputs Actions Outputs Outcomes Long-term impacts

What are the

key issues or

problems you

are trying to

address?

Are there

any gaps in

understanding?

Why does this

require the kind

of intervention

you have

proposed?

What are the

underlying

assumptions?

What resources

are available

to the

programme?

Where are the

gaps?

What are the

activities you

are developing

and for whom?

What are the

mechanisms?

What will be

the immediate

results of your

work?

(e.g. number of

people reached,

numbers

accessing

support)

What change

will result from

your activities?

(for people,

communities,

the local

economy)

What are the

ultimate aims

and objectives

you are hoping

to achieve?

Appendix 2: Programme logic model template

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Project: Completed by:

What is your vision for this project?

A. What will success look for like your project?

B. How will you know you have achieved what you set out to do?

C. What information needs to be collected?

1

2

3

PromptsA What will success look like for your project? Whatwillsuccesslooklikeforwhom?People,families,community, local economyWhenwillsuccessbeachieved?Whatchangedoyouhopetomake?Isitachievableinthetimeandresourcesavailable?B. How will you know you have achieved what you set out to do?What will need to be measured to help show whether or notyouhavebeensuccessful?Whataretheindicationsofsuccessyouneedtocollect?C. What information needs to be collected?Whoneedstocollecttheinformation?Howwillitbecollected?Youwillneedbasicinformationsuchasnumbers,wherepeoplecamefrom,agegroups,differentbackgrounds,etc

Appendix 3: Small community groups logic model template


Christina Gates HeadofSustainableCommunities,HomeGroup

Michael Gelling ChairofTAROE(TenantsandResidentsOrganisations of England)

Alan Hatton-Yeo CEO,BethJohnsonFoundation/Centrefor IntergenerationalPractice

Mike Muir CEO, Impact Housing

Tom Murtha CEO, Midland Heart and Chair, HACT

Mike Tyrell CEO, Tower Hamlets Community Housing

Appendix 4: List of national stakeholders interviewed

Funded by:Glass House Trust Headley Trust Charles Hayward John Ellerman RayneFoundation

Bringing generations together - HACT...50 Banner Street London EC1Y 8ST Tel: 020 7247 7800 Fax: 020...

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