Beyond Brexit: Bridging divides in our everyday lives

Guest contributor: Sam Dalton

The generational divide in political attitudes has been well-documented in the aftermath of the 2016 EU referendum and 2017 General Election. However, more worrying is the basic lack of trust between young and old, and the stereotypes held across the age spectrum which play into political debate. Recent polling (1) found that three-quarters of younger Remain voters think older people are prejudiced, while the same percentage of older Leave voters think younger people are entitled and unwilling to work hard.

But the extent to which the perception of a generational divide becomes a hardened reality is a choice that we all have to make. We can either stand back and let this intergenerational suspicion infiltrate our national politics or act now to bridge divides in our everyday lives. The APPG on Social Integration, a group of Parliamentarians from all political parties with an interest in these issues, launched an inquiry into intergenerational connection in December 2017 to explore the growing age divide and what could be done to bridge it. An interim report (2), which I helped to research and write, was published in 2019.

Crucial to enhancing trust and understanding across generations is strengthening the social connections between them. Currently, young and old don’t often meet and mix in their immediate communities, and increasingly live further apart. Take this striking statistic. For the typical child in our largest cities, just 5% of people in their immediate neighbourhood are over 65, down from 15% in 1991. A decline in shared spaces, such as libraries and community centres, has made it still more difficult to bring generations together across these divides. The good news is there is lots we can do to enhance intergenerational bonds.

Community events and activities can unite generations around common passions and interests, such as music, drama, exercise and conversation. There are a number of inspiring examples. The Cares Family (3) connects young professionals with their older neighbours in some of the UK’s biggest cities through outreach programmes, social clubs, and one-on-one matching schemes for younger and older people. Good Gym (4) encourages younger people to combine getting fit with doing good in their communities. Those who sign up complete runs to the home of an older person, where they then either help with practical tasks around the house or have a chat.

Public services and institutions throughout our country provide a ready-made environment for intergenerational connection to take place. From schools to care homes to public transport, intergenerational connection can and should be much better embedded within our shared public environments. Services including nurseries, schools and care homes can do much more to link up and even co-locate their provision on one site. One now well-known example is Apples and Honey Nightingale (5) in south London, which in 2017 opened the first nursery to be based at a care home in the UK.

Housing plans from local authorities and private developers can help integrate rather than segregate generations. For example, by encouraging young people to reside in residential homes for discounted or no rent, in return for volunteering, by promoting private home sharing between younger people and older people, and through supporting cohousing communities, which blend private space and shared areas for residents.

In this digital world, we need to do all we can to ensure technology plays a mainly helpful, rather than harmful, role in building social connections. Although technology has potentially negative consequences for intergenerational connection, it also has the capacity to connect people of all generations by enabling face time across large distances and providing new ways to form friendships and access local activities and events.

Strengthening intergenerational connections will not only benefit each and every one us in our personal lives, but help us build a better politics too. By enhancing trust and understanding across the age spectrum, we can start to tackle the ageist prejudice and stereotyping that has clouded national debate in recent years. With so many of the big political challenges facing the UK requiring intergenerational dialogue, from Brexit to the climate emergency, it is crucial we have that foundation of trust in place.

References

1. https://the-challenge.org/news/new-poll-finds-that-generations-are-prepared-to-sell-each-other-out-over-brexit/
2. https://the-challenge.org/cms/uploads/healing-the-generational-divide-appg-on-social-integration-interim-report-min.pdf
3. https://thecaresfamily.org.uk/
4. https://www.goodgym.org/
5. https://www.applesandhoneynightingale.com/

This article first appeared on the Millennial Labs Instazine, an Instagram-first magazine hosted by Common Vision. Our second Instazine edition invites you to consider what it would take to help different generations and backgrounds to understand eachother’s perspectives and contribute to the new government’s #Brexit plans moving forward. Find out more and leave your comments: www.instagram.com/millennial_labs

This is a guest article from Sam Dalton, public affairs and policy officer at social integration charity The Challenge, which provides the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Integration.

Common Vision ( www.covi.org.uk ) is a think tank working to change the narrative around our shared future. We aim to revitalise public diplomacy by championing deliberative dialogue and encouraging established and new leaders to work together to turn collective social challenges into opportunities.