By Mikayla van Loon
Igniting friendships of an intergenerational kind has captured the attention of many in the Mooroolbark community, seeing the benefits for young and old alike.
So much so, the Big Little Buddies program was recognised by Mooroolbark’s Post Office manager Helen for a People of Post grant.
Founder Monique Waterhouse said it was incredibly heartwarming to know the broader community was appreciative of the program and could see its impact.
“It’s affirming that it is something valued by the community to have people reaching out to us to support what we’re doing,” she said.
“There’s lots of different aspects of community groups who have shown interest and just been encouraging of what we’re doing and ultimately, the big aim of a charity is that you’re reflecting the needs of the community and the values of the community. So I think it very much has reinforced that.”
Big Little Buddies sees preschool aged children visit an aged care home once a week to sing various songs, do activities and share in conversations.
Prior to running the charity, Ms Waterhouse was a wellbeing coordinator for a school and it was there she saw the “mutually beneficial nature of that connection” between young and old.
While those benefits vary between age groups, the joy and excitement from both sides of the age spectrum, Ms Waterhouse said, was one of the most beautiful aspects of the program.
“For the residents, it is that social interaction and reducing isolation, especially post pandemic, that’s a big one.
“It’s also a sense of purpose and even dignity, in having that role to play as a pseudo grandparent, engaging with the kids, and then 100 per cent it’s supporting good mental health but also physical health.
“For the kids, it’s that opportunity to connect and learn from older generations, which often can be limited in the way our culture manages aged care. Then definitely the opportunities for them to build pro social behaviours like sharing, helping and then also improving their confidence and their communication skills.”
Ms Waterhouse said another important benefit from the program was “normalising the ageing process” and looking to combat ageism from a young age.
With “meaningful connections” being the aim, participants are signed up for a term at a time, really developing that strong base of interaction.
The main part of the sessions are songs – some from both generations – surrounding a theme like farm animals or colours.
“We try to incorporate songs that are both relevant to the kids, so we do our Wiggles and things they hear in their world, but also, we want to incorporate songs that are memory sparking for the residents as well,” Ms Waterhouse said.
“We want to always include activities that really encourage engagement between the generations, so often that’s things the kids hand out so they take scarves to the residents or ribbons, and then we’ll do a couple of songs using them.
“That’s a nice, gentle way for them to connect without having to necessarily hold a conversation. It’s a good springboard. And we’ve just started also doing some little craft activities.”
Because music is an essential part of the program, Ms Waterhouse said the $2000 grant would support the charity in purchasing better sound equipment, more instruments and items that can be used to facilitate connection.
While interest in the program somewhat outweighs the capability right now, Ms Waterhouse said the next steps for Big Little Buddies would be to grow and expand sustainably to support more people.
To do that as a charity, Ms Waterhouse said any financial support, like the People of Post grant enables the path forward but more would be needed.
To enquire about the program, email biglittlebuddies@gmail.com
