It’s been a long time since Bellarine Community Health’s (BCH) Social Support clients have been to school, but they turned back the clock recently and became students again for a day.
As part of the BCH-run Intergenerational Program with St Leonards Primary School grade five and six students invited their ‘buddies’ to come and visit them, as part of the school’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
The collaboration began earlier this year and St Leonards student wellbeing lead Chris Layley said it’s been a huge success.
“There are real connections developing between the students and their buddies,” she said.
“You can see the level of engagement and communication now between the older people and the students, there’s not the reluctance that was initially there, now when you look around the room everyone is chatting.”
The BCH clients were thrilled to be taken on a tour of the school and then share stories with the students about their primary school days, while the students showed off some of their work to their buddies.
“Our clients just love it when they get to see their buddies and to be able to take them to the school to see their young friends in the classroom and learn about what they’re doing at school has been a great activity,” BCH social support coordinator Karen Crockford said.
“Our clients have said they no longer feel invisible because they feel like someone really cares about them.”
The feedback from the students has been just as positive.
St Leonards Primary School is one of two schools taking part in the Intergenerational Program and Ms Layley is thrilled the students have embraced it with such enthusiasm.
“There’s a sense of connection with their community which we promote and foster at our school and there’s also an understanding of what it’s like to be an older person,” she said.
“Even in our planning for the BCH clients to come here, the kids were aware of what we had to have in place for their buddies to be safe and comfortable at the school.”
