A local university student is appealing to the young and old of Mandurah to try and bridge the clear gap between the youth and elderly.
Murdoch University student and Mandurah local Nancy Turner has started the In My Day project, which will see young and elderly residents come together to share experiences, ideas and conceptions about each other.
“I'm in the self-expression and leadership program with Landmark Worldwide, which is this international leadership organisation,” she said.
“We were asked to think about what was really important to us and then build a community project based on it.”
Ms Turner’s idea came about due to the ongoing narrative of the “rift” between young and old people in our society, and the issues caused by a lack of communication.
For her, connection between people is the priority.
“What's really important to me is human connection, learning from each other and being able to maintain the stories that our elderly people have,” she said.
“All through human history, that's how we've learned, and we don't really do that anymore.”
Ms Turner said she doesn’t think simply talking will fix all of society’s woes, but young people do have a responsibility to reach out to older generations, and doing so could start to mend cultural differences.
"These two generations, sometimes it just seems like they live completely separate lives,” she said.
“There's quite a lot of stereotypes each group has about the other. The younger generation, we are going to eventually inherit this country and the world, and it's really up to us to make sure that our older generations are being looked after.
“I think it's really important for young people to think about older generations and keep in mind issues that affect them.”
Ms Turner said she hoped the project would also work in the reverse - a break-down of the stereotype of Millenials as useless, lazy and inconsiderate.
"My generation does have this bad reputation," she said.
"But I know for a fact there are many, many people my age out there doing amazing things.
"I think it would be good for both sides to see the greatness the other is capable of."
If you would like to take part in Nancy Turner’s In My Day project, you can contact her at in.my.day.project@gmail.com.
