Growing up and growing old together? For some it is a utopian dream, for others it’s a precondition for guaranteeing equality and respect for all generations. AGE Belgian member Entr’âges experiences life as a continuum of generations based on solidarity and transmission and intergenerational cohesion.
Entr’âges’ ‘Call for an intergenerational commitment’, published together with the French-speaking Belgian intergenerational network (RIBF), is the result of exchanges and sharing of experiences in the field by institutions committed to creating intergenerational links. It includes a number of action points as well as concrete examples to help design more inclusive communities that are respectful, interactive and supportive of all ages.
In its memorandum, Entr’âges calls for…
- Working closely with institutions that work to strengthen links between the generations and deconstruct age-based stereotypes;
- Organising and supporting campaigns to raise awareness of ageism and promote intergenerational links;
- Placing the themes of memory, heritage and transmission at the heart of intercultural programmes and calls for projects;
- Increasing the number of convivial intergenerational events organised to encourage all generations to meet and interact;
- Funding the creation of spaces where people of all ages can meet, listen to each other and show solidarity.
- Decompartmentalising municipal services and encouraging them to work together
- Setting up local consultative councils for older people and for young people responsible for developing intergenerational initiatives
- Strengthening partnerships between municipal services and associations working to create links between generations
- Restoring infrastructure that fosters mobility for people with reduced mobility and make it easier for people of all ages to live together
- Committing to the development of intergenerational and solidarity-based housing
- Making communal spaces (schools, cultural centres, etc.) available to non-profit organisations and citizens with intergenerational projects
- Installing more facilities for the well-being of all ages in public spaces
- Committing to the development of ‘third places ’* aimed at meetings, exchanges and mutual aid services between residents of all generations
- Paying particular attention to the diversity of means of communicating a community’s activities and events
- Setting up a special transport service for cultural and sports venues
- Granting municipal aid to support intergenerational socio-cultural projects run by local residents
- Funding the creation of services to facilitate mobility for all ages
