Xanthe Golenko, Judy Lowthian
Bolton Clarke Research Institute
Stories are central to human connection, communication and cognition. They are integral to our culture and identity and enable us to learn, celebrate, heal and remember. They link us together with others and with things that are important to us.
Digital storytelling is a powerful way of giving voice to people who may be unheard or invisible and provides a useful framework for reminiscence and sharing lived experiences. It involves creating a short, video-narrative by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds. Its transformative nature helps people make sense of experiences in their lives and empowers them to reflect, respond and react. Adding an intergenerational component provides the opportunity to bring generations together to share experiences and knowledge through a meaningful activity where both the process and the end product have therapeutic benefits. From April to July this year, Bolton Clarke worked in collaboration with Faith Lutheran College in Plainland, QLD to bring together 160 Year 7 students and 25 older adults living in the local community and Westhaven Retirement Village to create digital stories. Working in small groups, residents and students explored shared topics of interest including dancing, growing up on a farm, music, sport and travel. They discussed lived experiences of what things were like in the past, compared to now, and reflected on changes over time.
The project was conducted over ten sessions, alternating between the students travelling to the retirement village one week and the residents visiting the school the following week. An overall structure of discussion topics and prompts was developed and aligned with session activities. The initial sessions were designed to establish rapport and involved activities to enable the residents and students to get to know each other and create a psychologically safe environment. Activities included a game of “people bingo”, a story circle discussion about “where my name comes from”, and letter writing. Older adults then brought in an artefact that was meaningful to them from their life and presented it to the students.
Groups of students and older adults were formed based on common interests. The following session activities were designed to progress the groups through the process of creating a digital story, from coming up with an idea and planning the story, to gathering and creating the content, and then producing a short video using basic editing software.
The project culminated in a special screening and presentation event which showcased a selection of digital stories, and celebrated these wonderful achievements with families, friends, local leaders, and community members. A short documentary about the project was created by students from the Griffith Film School which was premiered at the event.
A formal evaluation of the project is being conducted using a quasi-experimental mixed methods design. Pre- and post- surveys combined with focus groups with students were used to assess the impact of the project on their attitudes towards older people. Social and emotional wellbeing among older adults were measured using pre- and post- surveys and interviews. Staff from the school and the retirement village were interviewed to identify what worked well, what didn’t work and how the program could be improved.
Data analysis is still underway, however through the process of creating the digital stories, we witnessed the forging of new friendships, improved communication skills and a shift in attitudes
towards the other generation among participants. Students who were initially hesitant and nervous said they felt much more comfortable around older adults after participating in the project and enjoyed learning about history “firsthand”. Older adults stated that they really enjoyed being around the young people and commented on how polite and caring the students were. They were amazed at the school facilities and the changes in approaches to education.
This project has demonstrated that intergenerational digital storytelling can break down stereotypes, re-unite generations, and bring community together. The project builds on the Positive Ageing Digital Intergenerational Program (PADSIP) which was developed by Mark Silver from Swinburne University of Technology and has been running in Victoria for over 15 years, demonstrating similar positive outcomes. Other similar intergenerational projects conducted in partnership with schools and aged care providers are being conducted across Australia, such as Samantha Heron’s STEP (Seniors & Teens Empathy Program) in NSW, and Greg Conan’s Intergenerational Learning Australia, among others. Given the success of these types of programs and the ability to upscale and adapt to a wide range of different contexts, we would like to see them offered to students as part of the school curriculum at all year levels and embedded into routine care provided by aged care organisations. To achieve this, we need to continue to build a robust evidence base and lobby for active support from community leaders and all levels of government.