Issue nr. 18 - 06/07/2020

Our summer edition of the TOY Newsletter has more news about intergenerational initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, which unfortunately continues to be an everyday reality in all parts of the world. We also have information about a unique online event, Learning 2gether on 20-24 July designed so that different generations can learn together. This newsletter has the usual update about new publications related to IGL. Wishing all our readers a happy and healthy July and August.

We will be back in September to open the registration for the updated TOY Online Course – read on to find out more.

Latest News

Intergenerational singing and yoga during COVID-19: two initiatives from Ireland

COVID-19 and all the restrictions it has brought, has seen many Intergenerational projects came to a halt. However, this has not stopped Donegal County Council’s Choir of Ages “Ceol le Chéile” in Ireland, which has always been about bringing young and older people together. To keep the social aspect of the choir going, the Donegal Age Friendly Programme sought out different ways for the choir's engagement to continue. Read how they did it. 

The children and staff of Mellow Spring Childcare Development Centre, Finglas, Dublin had been regular visitors to Odin’s Wood Day Care Centre for the past two years. Once the COVID-19 lockdown was announced, a new approach to IG contact was required. Read about their plans for IG outdoor exercise and yoga classes

 

---

Revised and updated TOY Online Course: 5 October to 8 November 2020

In TOY we are committed to sharing the most up-to-date and ground-breaking developments in the world of intergenerational learning from around the globe. In the upcoming TOY Online Course starting in October 2020 we will be including new material to reflect the dramatic changes to IG relations that the COVID-19 forced upon communities across the world. We will also be updating the reading and resources sections of all modules to include the latest research and practice handbooks.

Amongst the new topics you will find in the October 2020 Course are: - Technology and IGL involving young children, in which we will feature the Storytellers Project from Italy;

- initiatives that maintained IG relations during pandemic restrictions;

- interviews with services who have participated in the TOY for Quality Programme in 2020.

The 4-Module Course begins on 5 October and ends on 8 November 2020.

Registration will be open from beginning of September via the TOY Course page.

Publications

TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs: Cost Assessment and FAQs

The latest publications from TOY for Inclusion approach are providing important information for municipalities in all parts of Europe who are considering setting up Play Hubs based on the TOY for Inclusion approach.

Together with project partners in 8 countries we have researched and produced a Play Hub Cost Assessment, which provides a user-friendly overview of the costs and resources to set up and run a TOY for Inclusion Play Hub. 

An accompanying publication that will be of interest to anyone wishing to find out more about all aspects of the TOY for Inclusion Play Hubs, including their benefits for children, parents and communities is the colourful Frequently Asked Questions booklet titled: Play Hubs in Local Communities: the TOY for Inclusion Approach.

TOY for Inclusion is coordinated by ICDI and funded by Erasmus+ Programme and Open Society Foundations (OSF).

---

TOY in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships

Our article ‘The power of TOY: Skills for Practitioners about IGL Involving Young Children and Older Adults’ is now published in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships (Volume 18, 2020 – Issue 2).

Click here to read about how and why the TOY Handbook, the TOY Online Course and the TOY for Quality Programme were developed.

---

TOY Blog: two new blogposts from Scotland and Spain

Two recent blogposts on the TOY website give a vivid picture of IG efforts to counteract the worse effects of COVID-19.

The first, posted 15 June comes from Generations Working Together in Scotland. In it, Alison Clyde observes that the need to halt the spread of the virus and protect lives brought an immediate halt to face-to-face IG practice. She also noted that the health emergency has shone a light on the importance of more cohesive communities and intergenerational relationships, a topic addressed in the second blogpost. This second post, which was contributed by the group responsible for the Manifesto “Intergenerationality Adds Up Lives explores the variety of ways affection and closeness was maintained between generations across Spain during the past few months.

Events

Learning 2gether Workshop Week 20 – 24 July 2020 

“Learning 2gether” is a week filled with online workshops that help children and adults develop skills to work together. You can learn skills like fundraising, advocacy or making your home more sustainable, but also how to use arts like dance, henna and poetry to create across generations. All happens between 20 to 24 of July - Live workshops require registration, so do not miss your spot! 

All information and registration links can be found here.

Follow ACT2gether on social media: Facebook and Instagram.

Contacts

On the TOY website we commit to provide current and ground-making news, research and developments about the world of intergenerational learning involving young children and older adults. If you have a news item you would like to share with us, please contact us at: 

International Child Development Initatives- ICDI

Margaret Kernan and Giulia Cortellesi

info@toyproject.net 

www.toyproject.net 

Together Old and Young will build age friendly communities