Beech Hill College Intergenerational Project

Description

One of most innovative projects which Monaghan Older People’s Council have initiated in recent times is the Beech Hill College Intergenerational Project which is progressing at Beech Hill College which is a secondary school, located in Monaghan Town. The project involves two groups of Transition Year Students at Beech Hill recording news stories from the local newspaper, the Northern Standard, and broadcasting a regular news programme to the residents of the local Nursing Homes in Monaghan.

Following an initial pilot broadcast, the first “live broadcast” took place in June 2023. Access for the Nursing Homes to the broadcast is via a password on YouTube. Access to the broadcast has been extended to other Older People’s groups in the county, who requested access via their representative on the Older People’s Council.

The project was initiated by Seamus McDermott, Monaghan Age Friendly Ambassador who is a former career guidance councillor at the school. The project has received great support from the staff and pupils of Beech Hill, as well as the Northern Standard who came on board at an early stage to allow access to their news articles. This level of commitment from each of the stakeholders was hugely important in getting the project off the ground.

The project has greatly benefitted the Transition Year students who have honed their skills at broadcasting and presenting. Seamus McDermott has provided guidance on the broadcast technology and he has provided drone footage of the many villages throughout the county, which provide the background to the broadcast stories. It is anticipated that the students have learned skills that they will take into their working careers and there is a real hope that some students may eventually find work in the areas of broadcasting and editing. The students will also benefit from understanding ageing better and the older people can pass on some of their wisdom and life experiences to the students.

The Nursing Homes residents have benefitted from enjoying the broadcast and seeing images of local people, their villages and news items. The images bring back positive memories of their home towns and villages for many of the residents.

Ultimately intergenerational projects such as the Beech Hill College Intergenerational Project benefit our wider society as they dispel many preconception of what older and younger people are life. They provide excellent opportunities to pass on collective community and life memories to the younger students. They also develop greater levels of tolerance, respect and can lead to the students becoming more active in their community as they gain satisfaction from the project.

An Apple Mac was provided by the County Monaghan Fund which ensured that the Transition Year students have full time access to allow them edit their broadcasts.

Feedback from the staff and students has been very positive and they see this as long term project for the school and there is a commitment to double the amount of Transition Year students working on the project in September. This will mean that there will be more regular broadcast during the 2023/24 school year.

In terms of the future, the plan will be to extend access to the broadcasts to other community groups who express an interest. We are also in discussion with a local group who represent blind and partially sighted individuals in Monaghan. We feel that their members may wish to receive access to the broadcasts and we want to hear their views.

There is an intention to include more personalised messages in the broadcasts. It became apparent during the Covid crisis that many of the residents didn’t have any family locally and didn’t receive many visits. The long term plan is to include personalised messages such as birthday greetings, anniversary greetings and even messages from local GAA players to their fans in the homes.

We have worked closely with the Entertainment Offices in the Nursing Homes in Monaghan and it would be our intention that the local students who make the broadcasts would meet with the Nursing Home residents. This is an important aspect of this Intergenerational Project.

Finally, we feel that the longer term benefits of the project are both tangible and numerous. The Nursing Home residents enjoy the broadcasts and will develop a relationship with the students. The students will gain valuable broadcast and editing skills. The project will also have a huge impact on their self confidence and public speaking ability of the students. The project will be a lifeline to blind and partically sighted people locally.

One of the key aspects of this Intergenerational Project has been the many key stakeholders in Monaghan who are coming together to make it a success:
• Monaghan Older People’s Council
• Beech Hill School
• Monaghan County Council
• County Monaghan Fund
• The Northern Standard

These stakeholders will continue to have positive relationships which can be only be beneficial when considering other Age Friendly Projects in the future in Monaghan.

Aim of Initiative

The aim of the Beech Hill College Intergenerational Project is to provide a regular broadcast of Monaghan news to the residents in nursing homes throughout the county. The broadcast bring to life the news stories from the Northern Standard newspaper, with personalised input from the students and images of each community.

The project also aims to develop a number of skills for the students. It is anticipated that the students have learned skills that they will take into their working careers and there is a real hope that some students may eventually find work in the areas of broadcasting and editing. It will also greatly increase their self confidence and public speaking ability.

A final aim was to publicise the benefit of intergenerational projects within Monaghan. A press release was issued to the local media, which highlighted the many benefits of the project. The project has been praised widely locally in Monaghan.

Who is it aimed at

The project has been primarily aimed at the residents of the nursing homes in Monaghan, with a view to enhancing their quality of life and wellbeing.

It is also aimed at the students who will hone their broadcasting skills and increase their self confidence. It will give them many skills for later life.

Finally, it is also aimed at the general public in Monaghan as projects such as this increase their understanding of the benefits of intergenerational projects. It also gives them a better understanding and positive perception of young people who are willing to both assist and learn from our older generations.

3 Steps critical to success

1. The first step was to ascertain if there was a need and/or desire for a local news broadcast withing the nursing homes in Monaghan. This proved to be quite straight forward as every Entertainment Manager in each nursing home came on board from the beginning.
2. The second step was to get buy in from the Principal and staff of Beech Hill College. It provided to be straightforward as Seamus McDermott is a former teacher at the school and because Patrick McArdle (School Principal) was very enthusiastic from the beginning. Buy in from other stakeholders such as the Northern Standard were also easily achieved.
3. The final critical step was the awarding of an Apple Mac machine from the County Monaghan Fund. The students had been relying on a school machine which was not always available, which was delaying progress. The new machine also allowed Seamus McDermott to access the newest software editing package and to teach the students how to use it.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. The principal and staff of Beech Hill College bought into the project from the beginning. However, it was difficult to estimate the number of Transition Year students it would take to compile the broadcasts and how many school hours it would take. As progress was initially slower than expected, the school have committed to doubling the number of students who will be in involved from September. A separate team will work on both the broadcasting and editing. This will led to more regular broadcasts being made available.
2. The availability of an Apple Mac was a challenge and initially led to slow progress. However, this changed with the awarding of an Apple Mac machine from the County Monaghan Fund. The new machine also allowed our Age Friendly Ambassador Seamus McDermott to access the newest software editing package and to teach the students how to use it. There are a number of aspects to this project which are intergenerational.
3. The final challenge which we face was how to distribute the broadcasts to the nursing homes. We were very conscious that the Northern Standard newspaper is published weekly and if the broadcast was made widely available then it could affect their sales. We sought advise on this and the broadcasts have been made available on YouTube, with each user getting a password. Each of the stakeholders have worked closely on the project and will continue to tackle any challenges that arise.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The primary outcome has been the setting up of regular broadcasts by the Transition Year students of local news stories to the nursing homes. There has been a huge degree of benefits to all concerned. The nursing home residents benefit from looking forward to their regular broadcasts and seeing their local communities on screen. The students benefit from learning new skills and forming positive relationships with the older people.
2. A significant outcome has been the tackling of isolation and loneliness amongst the nursing home residents. Many residents do not have family living locally and may not get regular visits. The potential to personalise messages can have a significantly beneficial impact on tackling loneliness, for example for students to include birthday wishes to a resident can give a great boost.
3. Intergenerational Projects such as the Beech Hill College Intergenerational Project greatly impact society in a positive way. The help build a sense of personal and community identity. They also encourage tolerance and understanding. There is much that the students can learn from the residents of our nursing homes and both parties can form positive relationships. An expected outcome is the benefit to the mental health and wellbeing of everyone involved in the project.