Bridging Generations: co-creating belonging between elders and young people

Bridging Generations was developed to address a practical community challenge: older and younger people can live in the same neighbourhood while having few meaningful opportunities to know, listen to and learn from one another.

The Horn of Africa Disability and Elderly Association (HADEA) is a registered charity working with older people, disabled people, families and communities in Ealing. HADEA has particular experience of engaging residents who can face language, cultural, disability, digital or other barriers to mainstream opportunities and services.

HADEA designed the project in response to concerns that some older residents feel ignored, undervalued or increasingly disconnected, while younger people can have limited opportunities to build positive relationships with elders beyond their immediate family.

The programme brought younger and older residents together as equals and co-creators. It combined relationship-building, storytelling and memory-sharing, creative activity, cultural exchange, discussion circles, skills-sharing, digital support and reflective conversations. The delivery model created space for people to talk about family, language, culture, faith, dignity, community safety, mental health, housing, employment and the pressures facing different generations.

The programme delivered 12 sessions in total: 11 intergenerational activity sessions and a final community celebration/forum. More than 99 people participated, comprising 61 older people and 38 young people aged between 13–30. This was 24 people above the original target of 75.

Of the 99 people involved through Bridging Generations:

• around 79% lived in Ealing Town, principally within W5, W13 and those parts of NW10 that fall within the Ealing Town area;
• around 15% worked in Ealing Town, principally within W5 and W13; and
• 6 participants were carers supporting older participants. These carers lived elsewhere within the London Borough of Ealing rather than within Ealing Town itself.

Overall, 93 of the 99 participants — approximately 94% — had a direct connection to Ealing Town through living or working there. The six participants from outside Ealing Town attended in their caring role to enable and support the participation of older residents.

The strongest evidence of impact was not numerical. One young participant later explained confidentially that the project caused him to reconsider how his frail grandparents had been treated within his wider family. He found the confidence to convene a family conversation, challenge behaviours he believed were disrespectful and prompt both younger and older relatives to acknowledge that mistakes had been made. The project had moved from conversation to reflection, and from reflection to action.

The final forum on 26 September 2026 brought more than 30 younger and older local residents together to discuss safety, belonging and the gap between generations. It generated practical ideas around mentoring, employment, community safety, mental health and future intergenerational work.