Last week we were pleased to join the Intergenerational National Network (INN) meeting in Civic House, Glasgow.
The meeting was hosted by Public Health Scotland and had a focus on food.
INN hosts regular meet-ups for members of the network and members come from the community, voluntary, arts, academic, private and statutory sectors; individual members are also welcome. Membership is free and the network usually meets between three and five times a year.
At this meeting we heard from 3 speakers from across Scotland, and Freya from our West team also spoke about Moments of Freedom.
We first heard from Sam Whitmore of Public Health Scotland, then Jenny Glen from University of Dundee about a report on community gardens, and Kim Newstead from Public Health Scotland about community food initiatives in Scotland bringing people together.
You can find the report here: Community Gardens beyond Communities
Freya spoke about the Moments of Freedom project and how the women are using food to bring people together. Part of the presentation focussed on their visit to North Ayrshire and the food shared, their community gathering in June, and the ways in which food can help to share culture and create spaces for cultural integration. Freya also spoke about the use of Magic Moments to capture these important stories and the small but significant changes the project has made.
It was especially interesting to hear from the staff at Civic House about the efforts made to ensure the building is climate friendly. The building has solar panels and mechanical heating which has reduced their energy demand to become one of Scotland’s first post-industrial spaces to become energy positive, creating 3 times more energy than they use!
Intergenerational spaces are amazing for connecting people who otherwise wouldn’t meet. The session worked as a great networking opportunity for those who attended in person and those online from as far away as England.
As always Pat creates a relaxed space for everyone to share ideas. New and returning network members are welcomed with smiles, and anyone can join – whether they know lots or little about intergenerational approaches, whether they’re interested as community members, professionals, volunteers, academics. The supportive, friendly dynamic is what INN’s known for – you leave feeling encouraged!
Join the intergenerational national network
Find out more on the Intergenerational National Network’s webpage, or email Patscrutton247@gmail.com to become a member or host a meet-up.