This month we caught up with Professor Lisa Kervin AM for an update on the BRIDGES [Building Relationships, Intergenerational Dialogue, and Global Exchanges] to Play for Wellbeing project.
Professor Lisa Kervin AM
Could you tell us a little about BRIDGES for anyone who wasn’t at the AIIP 2026 conference?
Society tells us that they’re lonelier and more disconnected that ever. But we also know that intergenerational play, which supports connection, has existed for millennia.
As part of this project, we are developing a series of case studies in diverse national and international locations. These locations are intentional because there is something interesting happening in each of these places from an intergenerational perspective.
How did you choose the locations?
The whole point of the Intergenerational Observatory is to capture examples of intergenerational play and connection to enable us to look across different case studies to identify the constructs for intergenerational play. What are the things that these diverse sites are saying matters? What are the core ingredients that make play between generations meaningful? What approaches help people connect across ages?
For example, working with Aboriginal knowledge holders and interrelated Kin in the Southeast of New South Walles gave us an opportunity to learn about intergenerational relationships and connection to Country. Digital Discoveries with Country: Connecting Generations.
South Korea is interesting because the birth rate is so low. What does it look like when the generations are out of kilter with each other? The Korean Government is running some inspiring programs, for example seniors volunteering in Library to support children’s learning and connection: Snapshots of Intergenerational Connection in South Korea . In rural Tanzania, what does intergenerational play look like when women serve as an anchor generation in villages, caring for children and older people? In Dubai, with its large populations of expatriate families, what does intergenerational connection look like when extended family are abroad?
[To learn more about these and other locations, visit the Global Intergenerational Play Observatory]
What does this month look like for you?
This month I’m off to Finland where there’s some exciting policy moves in the intergenerational space around housing and social cohesion. I’m keen to explore those a little bit more. We are also working on the nature connection and the possibilities this offers to intergenerational play. We’re not quite sure what this looks like yet!
New BRIDGES resources to explore
Last year on Intergenerational Month, we launched the languages resource [Being and Becoming Intergenerationally Inclusive] which we developed through our Community of Practice, to guide intentional language to support inclusion
This year, we have prepared something new, the Intergenerational Connection Compass which will be released at the end of the month.
A very big thank you to Lisa for sharing her work with us. To stay connected with BRIDGES and access their new resources, stories, and research, bookmark their Website BRIDGES: Building Relationships Intergenerational Dialogue and Global Exchanges project is funded for four years through the Australian Research Council’s Future Fellowship scheme.