2 watson-lgbt presentation

The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank

dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.

Improving intergenerational

relations through a targeted

approach in the UK: case study of pioneering work

among the LGBT community

Jessica Watson, International Longevity Centre – UK

International Federation on Ageing Conference

May 30 2012



About ILC-UK

The International Longevity Centre-UK is the leading

UK think tank on longevity and demographic change.

It is an independent, non-partisan think-tank

dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing

and population change.

The ILC-UK is one of 14 partners in the International

Longevity Centre Global Alliance. The alliance is a

multinational research and educational consortium.



ILC-UK work on intergenerational

relations in the LGBT community

‘Bridging the gap: exploring the potential for

bringing older and younger LGBT people together’

- Evidence review

‘Celebrating Intergenerational Diversity’ –

evaluation of three pilot projects

‘Intergenerational projects for the LGBT

community’ – toolkit for creating an

intergenerational project



What do we mean by LGBT?

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender

LGBTQ – includes terms such as

‘Questioning’ or ‘Queer’

Identity versus behaviour

Shared issues; discrimination,

marginalisation



UK LGBT community

5-7% of the UK population are LGB

Data issues



Ageing in the LGBT community

Invisibility in research

Youth as a precondition to participation in

culture

Premature ageing



Issues facing LGBT people

Social exclusion

Mental ill-health

Physical health risks

Service responses



A role for intergenerational work?

“…aims to bring people together in purposeful,

mutually beneficial activities which promote

greater understanding and respect between

generations and contributes to building more

cohesive communities. Intergenerational practice

is inclusive, building on the positive resources that

the young and old have to offer each other and

those around them.”

Diverse objectives and approaches



A role for intergenerational work?

Identifying common ground

Potential benefits

Limitations

Challenges



Pilot LGBT projects

Stockport

– advocacy and research

Leicester

– local history

Camden

– arts workshops



Pilot project evaluation

Aims

Methodology

– Semi-structured interviews

– Evaluation forms

– Analysis with coding template

Limitations



Participation

Project Camden Leicester Stockport

Number of Older

Participants

Engaged 15 8 10

Number of

Younger

Participants

Engaged

15 13 18

Total Number of

Participants 30 21 28



Participation



Participation



Benefits of working intergenerationally

in the LGBT community Greater understanding of one’s LGBT identity

– “Understanding properly what it means to be a gay man”

Sharing experiences

– “If people don’t interact, whatever group they are and don’t

talk to each other, you don’t understand the problems and

as a consequence also your problems as well.”

Needs analysis

– “Next of kin questions – should be accepted no matter what

the sexuality”




in the LGBT community Strengthening intergenerational ties

– “For many people the family environment is a heterosexual

set up and so if you are a younger person who is LGBT

you are not going to have that kind of conversation with

your grandparents”

Providing LGBT role models

– “for a lot of younger people, seeing older people…gave

them thought about the way they want to be [in the future]”




in the LGBT community Reducing discrimination and stereotyping

– “…I thought that older people were rude and not

approachable, I don’t know why, but they are not like that”

Improving social support

- Interviews revealed a number of participants planned to stay

in touch with someone they met on the project

Improving skills

– more than 90% respondents reporting positive development

in confidence and working with others



Challenges of working

intergenerationally Slow development of group dynamics

Reported communication difficulties

Working alongside existing groups

Practical obstacles



Toolkit development

Informed by evidence review

and pilot projects evaluation

Development of a process

model for establishing a

project

Informal, engaging language

Case studies and quotations



Recommendations

Further work is needed to understand the benefits

of intergenerational work among the LGBT

community

Youth services and older people’s networks in a

time of cuts

Services and marginalised groups

Focus on soft skills

Public funding of intergenerational work



Many thanks

Dr Dylan Kneale, Sally-Marie Bamford, Charlotte

Potter, Valentina Serra, Lilly Diener

Age UK Camden, Leicester, Stockport; Gendered

Intelligence (Camden); Leicester LGBT Centre;

Stockport Youth Services



Copies of the report available:

www.ilcuk.org.uk

International Longevity Centre - UK

[email protected] or [email protected]

Twitter: @ilcuk

Many thanks

Technology

2 watson-lgbt presentation