Broadford Intergenerational Project

Description

This is an intergenerational project with students in 4th, 5th and 6th class from Broadford Kilbane National School and members of the rural community from Broadford and Kilbane. In support of this project, the Clare Older People’s Council intend to replicate this pilot project across Co Clare.
Broadford and Kilbane are rural villages in East Clare. Kilbane N.S. was closed eleven years ago and incorporated into Broadford N.S. Children from Kilbane and other surrounding rural areas attend Broadford Kilbane National School. An outside facilitator with creative writing skills was engaged to work with the children to elicit stories of local myths and legends with a view to publishing a book.
The children knew some of the stories and older people in the community also knew stories. In order to capture the stories from the older people, children were given a questionnaire and asked to speak to older people in their communities. The result was a wealth of local stories of myths and legends.
The children were facilitated to write the stories using creative writing techniques. An artist also worked with the children to produce the illustrations for the book.
The project involved multiple elements which included a rambling house, which is where people come together in a local venue to tell stories, sing a song, play a tune and have a chat. That involved older people and the general population of the community. This event was a huge success where diverse members of the community came together during the Bealtaine Festival.
The book is going to be launched on Culture Night at a second rambling house where all the children, older people and the general public will gather to celebrate Culture Night and the book.
Simultaneously, the University of Limerick, an Age Friendly University, have been carrying out a research study of the project which seeks to determine the impact of the project on the Broadford Kilbane community. The findings of this study will also be launched on Culture Night.
As part of the pilot programme, an age friendly training manual is being developed to support replication of the intergenerational project by other facilitators.

Aim of Initiative

The aim of the project is to capture in print the oral history of East Clare Myths and Legends for future generations to enjoy. Further objectives are to make story telling accessible for children and to provide an opportunity for intergenerational engagement between children and older people in a creative environment within the rural community. This project seeks to alleviate rural loneliness and isolation particularly among older people in the community. Additionally, the project aims to provide the young people with a sense of ownership of their surrounding area by garnering a sense of appreciation and awareness of the rich fabric of local lore.

Who is it aimed at

The initiative is aimed at children attending Broadford Kilbane NS and older people in the rural community

3 Steps critical to success

1. Engagement of the principal of Broadford Kilbane NS was key to the success of this project. Mr Aonghus O’Brien’s enthusiasm, personal interest, commitment and energy for the project ensured a smooth working relationship with all involved.
2. Ensuring participant engagement was another vital step to the success of this project. All of the children from 4th, 5th and 6th class and over 20 older people to date were involved in the project. Engagement across all elements of the project from initial stages, to rambling house to the launch at Culture Night, participation at each stage of the project was crucial to it’s success.
3. The supporting research is another key element to the success of the project as this will play a fundamental role in both gaining an understanding of the impact of the project on the wider community in Broadford, Kilbane and the surrounding areas and will also underpin the success of the future replication of the project.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Funding the project posed a significant challenge as funding for projects of this kind is rare.
2. Getting Older People who are experiencing loneliness and isolation to come to a central venue posed a challenge as the project found that older people are reluctant to reintegrate into society after the restrictions of Covid. The lack of availability of transport was also an issue.
3. The work load involved in coordinating the project was greater than anticipated and was time consuming for one person.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. To capture local Myths and Legends in print format
2. To promote intergenerational engagement and shared learning
3. To replicate this project in other communities