By Kate, Shivani, Annah, Tina, Jin-Joo and Georgia
Change-makers 

Wherever there are experts and beginners, old and young, some learning is going on, some teaching.

In our world, we are all learners, and we all are teachers. The Intergenerational Dialogue is a great event that encourages young learners to connect with the elder members of our society and work in unison as we discuss global challenges affecting the Northshore.

Motivated to devise solutions for change, everyone gathered around tables, and the event began. Some of the topics discussed were climate change, Auckland’s water shortage, Covid-19 (community resilience), digital awareness, and the NZ roading systems. 

As we addressed the causes and impact of these challenges, great solutions began to arise around the table. The solutions presented reflected a sense of uniqueness yet were adequate and followed the SMART goal structure. 

Building interaction within the older generation through these discussions has allowed us to understand further the perspectives of particular challenges in the eyes of different demographics. 

As the day came close to finishing, we all voted on the final three topics to be  discussed and find solutions for. Once the votes were established, three topics were chosen – Covid-19, digital connections and congestion on our roads (Lake Road). We then decided on the one issue that we wanted to discuss more (digital connections), and collaborated to form an action plan to solve the underlying problem as a team. These ideas were presented to a panel of social workers, and a winning solution was formed  – building interaction with the elderly through creating digital support workshops.  

In the end, everyone was delighted, being assured that challenges will always occur in an evolving world, yet change is in the hands of its citizens to take action. We only spent a few hours with these incredible motivators, but their encouragement and advice have inspired us to not only advocate for change, but begin to be the change by mending the breaks in our society. 

Thank you, Ms Wilson, for the great opportunity and the Local Board for organising such a thought-provoking event.  We are truly grateful and are looking forward to partaking in the work party putting the solution into action. 

Pictured above from left: Tina Kim, Shivani Arivuchelvan (back), Jin-Joo Lee (front), Georgia Martin, Annah Mathew (front) and Kate Borton.