Local MP Caroline Dinenage pledged her support to generational skill swapping in Gosport last week.
The Gosport MP signed the Abbeyfield Week Pledge in Parliament to show her commitment to promoting strong relations between older and younger people in the local area.
The event was hosted by Abbeyfield, a not-for-profit organisation which has over 500 houses and 80 care homes across the UK, including in Gosport. As part of Abbeyfield Week 2012, they're promoting AGEnda, an innovative exercise in skills swapping between older and younger people. AGEnda aims to encourage and improve greater understanding between generations and enable residents in the Gosport home to have a fun day interacting with young people and swapping skills.
Speaking after the event, Caroline said:
"I was delighted to be able to sign the Abbeyfield Week Pledge supporting this innovative scheme to help raise awareness of the importance of skills swaps. Too often we overlook the need for different generations to get together and learn new skills such as IT, cooking, and reading. It also provides an excellent opportunity for different generations in Gosport to discuss the differences in their lives and gain a better understanding of one another."
Paul Allen, Chief Executive of Abbeyfield said:
"We are delighted that Caroline Dinenage has signed our pledge supporting this year's Abbeyfield Week – AGEnda: A generational skills swap. We would like to see more of these generational skills swaps in areas across the country to enable better understanding between different generations. Schemes such as this not only help alleviate loneliness amongst older people, but also teach younger generations skills that they might otherwise have missed."
Abbeyfield is also launching a competition for the best Inter-Generational Skills Swap to celebrate Abbeyfield Week. One lucky school or youth group will win a visit from popular dance duo Twist and Pulse in September. The dance act, former Britain's Got Talent finalists, are backing our AGEnda campaign and have pledged to not only meet the winning Skills Swap team, but also put on a special dance performance. To enter, please complete the online application form to enter the Skills Swap challenge!
