Programme: Offaly
WHO Theme: Respect and Social Inclusion, Social Participation
Funding Stream: Zero Cost, the Venue was provided by Offaly Libraries, and the Equipment and Staff were provided by Offaly County Council.
Resources Required: Paid Staff, Premises
Cost: 0 – 500
Status: Completed
Description
In October 2024, Offaly County Council, in collaboration with Offaly Libraries and Age Friendly Ireland, launched the Intergenerational Robotics Programme. This initiative offered a unique and inclusive experience for families, allowing three generations to come together to build, code, and operate their own VEX robot.
The programme aimed to bridge the technological and digital divide between generations within families. Offaly County Council’s existing STEAM Programme has been engaging young people across the county since 2018, through activities like VEX Robotics, Micro:Bits, LEGO League, Podcasting, Minecraft Education, and Raspberry Pi. These initiatives have improved digital literacy and skills among youth, including neurodivergent students, through schools, community centres, Youthreach programmes, and Offaly Libraries.
Despite its success in equipping young people with skills in robotics, automation, programming, engineering, innovation, and collaboration, the STEAM Initiative previously lacked intergenerational engagement. To address this, the Intergenerational Robotics Programme was developed in partnership with Offaly Libraries and Age Friendly Ireland, aiming to close the digital gap between generations in Offaly. Tullamore Library was chosen as the venue due to its central location and familiarity for participants of all ages and because of its status as one of Offaly’s Age Friendly Libraries
The programme ran for six weeks, with workshops every Tuesday from 17:30 to 19:30, starting on October 3rd to coincide with Positive Ageing Week. The sessions attracted 12 families and 36 participants, including children, parents, and grandparents. With guidance from Offaly County Council staff, families worked together to build VEX robots from scratch. The workshops evolved into a space for social connection and shared discovery, where participants engaged in technical tasks and lively conversation. This dynamic fostered teamwork and mutual respect, with each participant playing a distinct role within their family team.
All families successfully completed the challenge of building, coding, and driving their VEX robots. To add excitement, activities like Robo-Football and the Tullamore Grand Prix were introduced, reinforcing the value of lifelong learning and inclusion. Participants across generations demonstrated enthusiasm, competitiveness, and enjoyment, often forgetting any initial apprehension about engaging with digital technologies.
Due to the success of the initiative in 2024, we plan to further enhance Offaly Libraries Age Friendly commitments and expand the programme to more libraries later in 2025.
Aim of Initiative
Offaly County Council’s Intergenerational Robotics programme aimed to unite three generations – children, parents, and grandparents through the collaborative VEX Robotics programme. Rooted in community, connection, and education, the initiative harnesses robotics as a tool for learning, creativity, and intergenerational bonding.
By engaging families, the programme introduces practical STEM skills while fostering teamwork and problem-solving across age groups. In Offaly, where access to advanced technology and structured STEM opportunities can be limited for adults, especially those not exposed to digital skills growing up, this initiative offers an exciting, hands-on educational experience that is both accessible and inclusive.
Each generation brings unique strengths: young people contribute enthusiasm and digital fluency, parents offer current educational or vocational perspectives, and grandparents provide wisdom, resilience, and storytelling that enrich the learning experience. Through the challenges of designing and building a robot, families collaborate, gaining confidence in technology and communication. The initiative also addresses digital exclusion by encouraging older generations to engage with emerging technologies in a supportive, family-centred setting. It promotes lifelong learning; nurtures pride in rural ingenuity and highlights how innovation can thrive beyond urban centres.
Ultimately, Offaly County Council, Offaly Libraries, and Age Friendly Ireland celebrate rural Ireland’s rich tradition of community spirit by uniting generations in a shared journey of exploration, learning, and achievement through the VEX Robotics programme.
Who is it aimed at
Three generations of the same family – children, parents, and grandparents
3 Steps critical to success
- Building an appropriate, inclusive workshop list which allows attendees of all ages and digital skills to take part and work collaboratively towards a shared goal.
- Securing Staff, Equipment and a Venue for the programme
- Developing an inclusive outreach strategy to make the initiative accessible and appealing to potential attendees of all ages. Acting on this strategy through familiar contact streams to garner the most response and uptake.
3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery
- Finding a shared Venue which was familiar and accessible for young and senior individuals. Tullamore Library was the perfect Venue to solve this issue.
- Overcoming the apprehension of senior attendees regarding working with robotics.
- Time constraints among attendees. Asking 3 generations from the same family to all come together for a shared initiative places a lot of pressure on families and therefore an evening session was chosen to accommodate for these factors.
3 Outcomes / Benefits
- Strengthened intergenerational bonds as children, parents and grandparents get to spend time together while completing a set of activities and challenges that highlights the individual strengths of each generation. This event served as a foundational blueprint, paving the way for Offaly Libraries to expand and develop a sustainable program of intergenerational events to enrich their Age-Friendly initiative.
- Increased digital literacy and STEM skills amongst generations; all attendees regardless of age will be engaging with cutting edge educational robotics equipment and will take away a greater familiarity and skillset regarding digital and STEM abilities.
- Inspiration and familiarity for future learning and careers. As the world continues to digitise, understanding these skills futureproofs Offaly’s young people to give them the tool set necessary for the future labour force. For grandparents and parents, it gives an understanding of the potential future jobs that will be available and adds familiarity to an ever changing workforce