The Development of an Intergenerational Centre in the UK: How Several Generations Used the Centre and Interacted with(in) the Building
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Julie Melville
- Source
- Studia paedagogica. 21:67-82
- Subject
- 03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
030214 geriatrics
030502 gerontology
Intergenerational learning
International community
Gender studies
Sociology
0305 other medical science
Socioeconomics
Education
- Language
- ISSN
- 2336-4521
1803-7437
This article tells the story of the development of the UK's first purpose-built intergenerational centre (the Centre) in London, England. More specifically, this article focuses on what happened once the Centre actually opened and participants were able to make practical use of it. Findings presented in this article are used to examine how different people use the Centre and interact in its communal spaces, and whether interactions differ with age or relationships between users. The article also considers whether the presence of particular people or groups in the Centre influences the nature and levels of interaction among the generations. The article articulates key lessons learned for other local councils and for the wider international community seeking to develop and design purpose-built intergenerational centres.