Posted in Culture
Proving that people of all ages can learn from each other, a partnership between Resthaven Marion and nearby Westminster School won the Intergenerational Award at the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Every Generation Positive Ageing Awards, presented at the Intercontinental Hotel on Friday 16 October.
“For more than nine years, Westminster students and Resthaven residents have contributed to many community partnerships,” said Resthaven Marion Manager, Anthea Tyler.
“For the last seven years, we have held a ‘Computer Club,’ where students run weekly ‘classes’ to help residents learn new computer skills, such as Skype, facebook and YouTube.”
Westminster students also regularly visit the site for their school service learning project, where the students and residents participate in a number of activities, including playing board games and indoor bowls.
For Remembrance Day last year, residents and students worked together to create knitted poppies to contribute to a display held by the City of Marion.
Over the past two years, residents and students worked together on a project to help those less fortunate.
“It started when a group of Resthaven Marion residents knitted baby clothes for children in South Africa, Kenya and India for Westminster School’s Round Square program community partners,” says Anthea. “The knitted clothes were distributed by returning Westminster exchange students and Round Square partner schools.”
Another level was added to the project when the residents of Resthaven Marion were linked to another of the school’s community partners, Baptist Care WestCare Centre in Adelaide. Westcare supports homelessness programs and offers housing assistance, legal counsel, health support, free meals and drug and alcohol counselling to around 1,000 vulnerable people every month.
With the very cold winter, there was an increased demand for warm clothing for the WestCare clientele, so Phil Stewart from Westminster approached Karen Neighbour, Lifestyle Coordinator at Resthaven Marion, to arrange extension of the overseas knitting program to serve an immediate local need.
“The result was nothing less than outstanding, with hundreds of gloves, hats and scarves, all knitted with love and care by residents from Resthaven Marion, being passed on to WestCare,” Anthea recalls.
“For the students of Westminster School, it heightened their appreciation of the residents at Resthaven Marion, who demonstrated compassion and empathy for others, and act as positive role models for them.”
The project will continue in 2016, with phase two involving Resthaven Marion residents teaching Westminster students how to knit. This way they can work together, knitting for the 2016 winter.
This project does not receive any funding. It is possible due to in-kind support from Westminster and Resthaven, community donations of wool and other consumables, and the volunteer effort of all involved. Students’ time contribution is outside of school hours.
“This collaboration engages the generations as they work together, connecting to friends, new and old, and contributing to the community.”
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The new 'normal’ that we have entered into can certainly bring changes to how we as a church undertake international mission. However, despite this challenge we encourage reflection on the importance of partnerships, solidarity for social justice issues and ecumenical sharing.
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