Regenerating Generations

Introduction to ‘Rural Generations’

The goal of this project to help isolated people in rural communities by enabling them to generate lasting bonds with different age groups to combat issues relating to mental health, unemployment and risk of isolation.

Social isolation through unemployment for young people is a known cause of depression, mental health problems and physical illness, conditions also experienced by older people, who may also experience the profoundly isolating effects of the loss of a partner or family moving away.

Recently loneliness has become prevalent among the young and middle aged culminating in too many tragic suicides.

This programme proposes structured activities targeted at these groups that may fall into the loneliness ‘trap’ and seeks to pro-actively engage them to benefit all involved.

Targeting people in communities: Loneliness, unemployment and mental health can occur at any time. This project targets those at particularly vulnerable stages of life

• Young people leaving the education system who lose contact with their peers.

• Older people who become lonely and disenfranchised from family and friends

• Rural populations – socio-economic factors like lower per capita income, high cost housing, physical isolation and lack of support services can cause mental health issues.

• Long term unemployed – people out of work for more than 6 months who develop lack of confidence and self-esteem.

• Carers needing a break from caring.

Duration: One day p/w for 12 weeks. Clients can progress at their own pace, or join when it suits them. We will establish a support network to guard against isolation and the risk of slipping back into loneliness.

Content focuses around skills, personal development and signposting people to careers or further activity.

Learning new skills:

Structured workshops to gain opportunities for work experience, gain qualifications or voluntary work.

• Animals – Build confidence through working with animals

• Horticulture – Construction of herb and flower planters, involvement in local community projects geared to develop organisational skills.

• Healthy Activities – Low impact fitness activities to improve lifestyle, nature walks, cycle rides and physical projects like gardening, developing wildlife and community areas.

• Bespoke sessions to help develop areas that the individual/group feel they could improve on such as communication, teamwork, resilience, time management, and working to deadlines.

The programme offer opportunities for IAG, which would help individuals take their next steps to improving life opportunities.

• For clients to have a career development plan

• For clients to have the confidence to join other groups

• For clients to get a positive reference by participating.

• For clients to have something positive to talk about.

Personal Development Objectives

• Use older people’s skills to initiate drive, sense of purpose and improve self-esteem for younger people suffering from mental health issues or social exclusion and vice versa.

• Help people with mental health issues and those on the margins of society develop and re-integrate into society by offering a support network and structured programmes to develop inter-personal skills

• Help lonely people to re-integrate back into the community by helping younger people through their experience, increasing sense of worth.