An intergenerational program focusing on safety awareness and injury prevention launches in Newcastle on Wednesday, October 30 when 12 eager children from Hamilton Community Pre-school meet with their ‘grand-buddy’ residents from Uniting Lindsay Gardens to embark on a year of friendship and learning. This program is an extension of the SeeMore Safety Program, which was recently made available to 650 preschools across Newcastle thanks to the generous support of the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
Connecting Generations brings together elderly and young members of the community – two of the most vulnerable groups within Australia that have the highest rates of injury through accidents.
This program will connect the two generations on a regular basis throughout the remainder of 2019 and 2020 with ten sessions held over 12 months at the aged care centre. This regular engagement enables participants to learn from each other and share the knowledge they have about keeping themselves safe in various situations and environments. Participants buddy-up to complete a series of activities focusing on socialisation, physical movement and safety awareness and create friendships similar to that of a grandparent and grandchild.
Dr Susie O’Neill, KIDS Foundation Founder and CEO says the social, emotional and physical benefits of spending time together are so special and valued and cannot be understated.
“The program creates opportunities for engagement with mutually beneficial outcomes. Connecting Generations improves the physical, mental and emotional health and safety awareness understanding of the participants involved” she says.
Hamilton Community Pre-School Educator Jackie Mulholland says Connecting Generations will be a welcome addition and an enhancement to the highly successful SeeMore Safety Program that has been implemented at the centre for a number of years.