Old and young battle it out to be champions.
Opponents from 11 years-old to 80 will be pitting their wits against each other as they compete in the first ever Inter-generational Quiz event on 29 November.
Four teams, each consisting of four older people and four school pupils, will battle it out over a series of challenges including: speed texting, Wii bowling, playing dominoes and hanging washing on a line.
The schools involved are Gallowhill Primary School in Renfrewshire and Carlibar Primary School in East Renfrewshire. The pupils are being partnered by residents from Glencairn Court Amenity Housing in Paisley, Kirkton Services in Barrhead and some East Renfrewshire residents who have links with Uplawmoor Primary School, Uplawmoor.
In preparation for the big event, teams have been meeting every two weeks to teach each other the skills they need to triumph.
The Inter-generational Quiz takes place on 29 November at Carlibar Primary in Barrhead from 1.15pm till 2.30pm.
The quiz is part of the council’s commitment to reshape care for older people. It enables older people have an active role in their community and helps to break down barriers by getting younger and older people to work together to share information and skills. This has many benefits including reducing isolation, improving mental health and providing structure to an older person’s week.
The event is a partnership between Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire Councils and the East Renfrewshire Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP). Mary’s Meals is also supporting the event by lending the clothes to hang on the washing line.
It’s hoped the quiz will become an annual event.
Councillor Iain McMillan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Social Work, Health and Well-being Policy Board, said, “There is so much that young people can learn from older people but there aren’t many opportunities for them to get together in an informal way. There’s a saying that we don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing.
“There are many benefits to intergenerational working. It creates opportunities for young and old to learn new skills and share knowledge. And this project, in particular, is a positive way to provide a structure and sense of purpose to the older peoples’ lives while also offering a unique social outlet for older and younger generations to mix.”
Sheila Hood, Head Teacher at Gallowhill Primary School said, “Myself and the P7 Class Teacher, Cheryl Gray, have been so proud of how much enthusiasm our pupils have demonstrated in preparing for this event. It has been fantastic to see the two generations working together and fostering a genuine community spirit.
All too often, these two age groups misunderstand each other and this project proves that older people and youngsters can really enjoy each other’s company. The residents from Glencairn Court have been great fun and we hope to maintain these precious links for many years. We are in it to win it though!
Community link worker with the East Renfrewshire CHCP, Alan Stevenson, who set up the project and will be ‘quizmaster’ said, “Changes in all our lives have resulted in many community activities becoming segregated by age and this has resulted in older and younger people having less positive exchanges. This event will be a great opportunity for all those taking part to show the positive outcomes that can be achieved by people of all ages working, learning and volunteering together. I would like to thank all the schools, our partners in Paisley and all the participants for their time and effort in the development of the first ‘IQ Quiz’.”
Courtesy of Renfrewshire Council.