1. 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

2. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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.

3. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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

4. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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

5. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. UK LGBT community  5-7% of the UK population are LGB  Data issues

6. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Ageing in the LGBT community  Invisibility in research  Youth as a precondition to participation in culture  Premature ageing

7. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Issues facing LGBT people  Social exclusion  Mental ill-health  Physical health risks  Service responses

8. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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

9. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. A role for intergenerational work?  Identifying common ground  Potential benefits  Limitations  Challenges

10. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Pilot LGBT projects  Stockport –advocacy and research  Leicester –local history  Camden –arts workshops

11. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Pilot project evaluation  Aims  Methodology –Semi-structured interviews –Evaluation forms –Analysis with coding template  Limitations

12. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Participation ProjectCamdenLeicesterStockport Number of Older Participants Engaged 15810 Number of Younger Participants Engaged 151318 Total Number of Participants 302128

13. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Participation

14. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Participation

15. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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”

16. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Benefits of working intergenerationally 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]”

17. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Benefits of working intergenerationally 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

18. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Challenges of working intergenerationally  Slow development of group dynamics  Reported communication difficulties  Working alongside existing groups  Practical obstacles

19. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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

20. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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

21. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. 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

22. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change. Copies of the report available: www.ilcuk.org.uk International Longevity Centre - UK dylankneale@ilcuk.org.uk or jessicawatson@ilcuk.org.uk Twitter: @ilcuk Many thanks