Intergenerational Day Canada June 1st Gets Support N-E-W-S

Social change is slow in coming. We all know that. It seems to take about a decade for good social causes to actually go from ‘idea’ to ‘accepted practise’– well, that is an optimistic estimate! Mandatory seat belts, the immunization programme and the anti-smoking campaign…all took a good decade to come to fruition and all, interestingly enough, had life and death implications. Was that what made people finally embrace these movements? Was that the sharp poke in the body of social responsibility…people embraced the movements because they did not want to feel responsible for death? Yikes!

Well, what about quality of life and good health? Maybe not as dramatic but certainly has a lot to do with ageing well and staying mentally, socially and emotionally alive.

Intergenerational connecting is a simple, inexpensive, fun approach to defeating one of Canada’s number one health issues, isolation and loneliness, yet it is an uphill battle to get people to move from merely embracing the idea, to taking affirmative action.

Check out this website (intergenerational.ca), especially the four excellent resources showcased on the home page. Each shows not just why intergenerational connecting is a great good health idea, but also show that it is easy, fun and creates empowerment while working together.

To date, the provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and the territory of the Yukon have officially proclaimed June 1 as Intergenerational Day Canada. More proclamations are on the way this next month.

June 1st:  Celebrate what you already do that is intergenerational! Make this a day to purposefully and respectfully connect with another generation. Check out the webpage on this site under IG Day for simple and fun ideas that defeat isolation and loneliness of both the young and older.

Get on Board! You won’t regret it. Our goal is to wipe out the need for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 15th. Support this initiative with action. See bccrns.ca and cnpea.ca for more resources.