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As Europe basks in very unseasonably warm weather, it feels a little strange to welcome you to the Autumn issue of the TOY Newsletter. This issue our news comes in twos!: two new TOY projects have been awarded funding by the European Commission; two new TOY publications in academic journals; two recent public events in which TOY featured and much more …
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New EU funded TOY Projects
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Free online course for professionals in IGLIn August we heard the very good news that both of our European Commission project proposals to further develop the TOY approach had been approved. The first of these, ‘TOY-PLUS: Professional Learning Upscaling Skills’ is funded under the Dutch Agency of Erasmus + programme for adult education. The project begins in November 2016 and will develop a free online professional development course (MOOC), which will be piloted in Italy, Ireland, UK, Spain and Slovenia. In parallel with this, we will develop a TOY Quality Stamp for Municipalities and ECEC and social care services wishing to facilitate IGL activities. Over the coming two years, International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI), will work in partnership with The Beth Johnson Foundation (UK) and Linking Generation Northern Ireland, Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland), Developmental Research Center for Pedagogical Initiatives Step by Step – DRCPI SBS (Slovenia), Azienda Speciale ReteSalute (Italy), Hellenic Open University (Greece), Municipality of Lleida (Spain).
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A new article from our Portuguese colleagues The Journal of Intergenerational Relationships is one of the main academic journals focusing on IGL research and practice. The latest edition features an article written by our Portuguese TOY partners in the University of Aveiro, titled: Intergenerational Toy Library: One, Two, Three …Let’s Play Again? The article analyzes the benefits to the participants in an intergenerational toy library, which was established as part of the original TOY Project (2012-2014). One of their findings is that deep long lasting hours of play between young children and older people is possible. Read more.
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TOY in Studia PaedagogicaThe latest edition of Studia Paedagogica, an Educational Journal published by Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, is a special themed edition on intergenerational learning. TOY research findings were the inspiration of one of the articles in the collection, which was authored by Giulia Cortellesi and Margaret Kernan (ICDI). Taking an anthropological perspective we address questions such as: how does IGL influence and transform the identity of older adults and young children? And what mechanisms support inclusion and solidarity between young children and older adults, including those who are migrants? This edition of Studia Paedagogica also features an article by Julie Melville, from the Beth Johnson Foundation, one of TOY’s new partners. This article tells the story of the UK’s first purpose-built intergenerational centre in London. Read more.
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TOY BlogThe latest blogpost in our series about intergenerational relations from around the world comes from Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is written by Fioni Murray from the Khululeka Community Education Development Centre. She writes about the support Khululeka gives to grandmothers, who often are the primary caregivers for their young children and how this mentoring has improved the play and development of young children growing up in rural villages in the Eastern Cape. Read more.
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Recent and upcoming events
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Dutch Children's Book Week puts the spotlight on grandparents and grandchildrenChildren’s Book Week is a long-standing, much loved annual event in the Netherlands, during which schools, libraries, book shops, authors all work together to promote children’s literature and the pleasure of reading stories to children of all ages. The theme of this year’s Children’s Book Week is Forever Young. In the coming weeks and months, libraries, homes and classrooms will be flooded with story books and related activities about older people, grandmothers and grandfathers. In preparation for Children’s Book Week (5-16 October) the TOY team in ICDI were invited by Leiden Library and Cultural Centre to participate in a seminar for teachers.
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TOY Symposium at EECERA ConferenceOur Irish TOY colleagues, Anne Fitzpatrick, Carmel Gallagher and Ashling Silke lead a symposium about the experiences of TOY in Ireland at the Annual EECERA conference, which took place in Dublin between 31 August and 3 September 2016. EECERA is the largest early childhood research conference in Europe. Read more.
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TOY will be at the Child in the City ConferenceAs announced in our previous TOY newsletter ICDI’s Margaret Kernan will be talking about child and age-friendly cities at the 8th Child in the City Conference, in Ghent, Belgium in November. The next issue of the TOY newsletter will feature a report from this conference. You can register to attend the conference here.
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Global Intergenerational ConferenceOur friend Generations United invites you to submit presentation proposals for the 2017 Global Intergenerational Conference, Generations Remixed. The conference will take place June 13-16, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, WI. The deadline for submitting proposals is September 30, 2016. The 2017 Global Intergenerational Conference is the premier gathering for established and emerging professionals seeking best and promising practices designed to connect older and younger generations. The four-day event will be jam-packed with inspiring speakers, thought-provoking sessions, opportunities to build connections, and hands-on experiences to see intergenerational strategies in action.
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Linking Generations Northern Ireland Today, we want to introduce you one of our new partner organisations: Linking Generations Northern Ireland. Click below to discover who they are and what they do to promote dialogue and solidarity between young and old in Northern Ireland. Read more.
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International Child Development Initatives- ICDI Margaret Kernan and Giulia Cortellesi info@toyproject.net
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Together Old and Young will build age friendly communities
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