Post by Zachery Ng

🧠 What does it take to engage both youth and elders in the same activity and make it meaningful for both? Our intergenerational initiative, Generation Go!, offers some insights. As Singapore transitions into a super-aged society, bridging generational gaps becomes more urgent than ever. With over one in four citizens projected to be aged 65 and above by 2030, we must rethink how we foster inclusion, connection, and wellbeing across age groups. This involves embracing reciprocal learning, where youths gain perspective and wisdom from seniors, while elders benefit from the energy, ideas, and digital knowledge of younger generations. Our project is closely aligned with the vision of The Health District at Queenstown (HD@QT), which seeks to promote healthy longevity, enable purposeful longevity, foster intergenerational bonding, and support a community for all ages. Drawing on primary research gathered through interactions with elders from Esther Active Ageing Centre, we explored how to design intergenerational activities that are engaging and address the unique motivations of both youth and seniors. With these insights, our team – comprising Emma Sudharman, Si Qi Tan , Xin Yi Fong and myself – came together to create Generation Go!, a carnival featuring three types of games, nostalgic, digital, and physical. These games cater to diverse interests and encourage meaningful interaction across generations. We are deeply grateful to Prof Lynette Tan, Prof Leng Leng Thang, and the GenLab Collective for their thoughtful frameworks and consistent guidance throughout the module “Rethinking Age: Potential for Integration.” We would also like to sincerely thank the elders from Esther Active Ageing Centre for sharing their time and insights, which played a key role in shaping our service learning journey. #intergenerationalbonding #servicelearning #HDQT #AgeingWell #nus #residentialcollege4