About Young At HeArt
From May 2017 to April 2018, we helped a mix of local artists, musicians, and art & culture organisations bring creative sessions to people 55+ in Swale.
The sessions were created to bring people together, prevent social isolation, improve wellbeing and make people feel connected to their community.
Each session was free of charge with refreshments available and were scheduled to work best for those taking part.
We worked around public transport timetables to help those coming by bus or train, and for those people unable to use public transport we worked with SCVS’ Transport Service to get people to-and-from Young At HeArt venues.
The Sessions
Young At Heart had a rolling programme of bi-monthly sessions to keep the sessions varied. These sessions were;
- Film Club
- With the help of Swale Film Society, these sessions showed classic films, some chosen by those taking part, in a friendly venue with tea and biscuits.
- Films shown included Some Like It Hot, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and The Lady In The Van.
- Craft Club
- Where people could take part in activities, led by local artists and experts, including making Christmas cards, woodworking, sewing and eco-friendly crafts.
- Movement Club
- These sessions at Phoenix House Community Centre in Sittingbourne, were gentle classes for all abilities where people could get moving with exercises like Feldenkrais, and dance sessions with Moving Memory Dance Theatre Company.
- Culture Club
- These were talks and hands-on experiences which focused on local heritage and the natural world.
- Speakers included Richard Emmett of the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne, and Mid Kent Astronomical Society
- These sessions also included music sessions including songwriting, computer music and trying classical instruments.
What we learnt
Young At HeArt showed us that by accommodating their needs into what we do, they were delighted to learn new things and share their experiences and stories with us.
We also learnt that working together with people over 55 to help create a programme makes them feel included in the act of co-creation.
Young At HeArt also helped us develop our 55+ programme legacy with projects like Sea Folk Sing and our cross-generational project, You Me Us/You Me Us Too.
