Stories that
moved me
In this section I share five selected stories (some people might call them case studies) from the Fellowship. These are just a few of the stories that make up what I see to be the glimpses of an intergenerational future.
Each story is presented in the same way with five questions:
What’s the story here?
What are the rituals and rhythms of connection?
What does leadership look like?
What (if anything) is getting in the way?
What are the takeaways?
Wohnbuddy, Vienna
What’s the story here?
Wohnbuddy is a Vienna-based social business. They offer a matching service for older people with space in their homes, and younger people looking for affordable places to live. Older people get company, help around the home and a little bit of extra money, meanwhile younger people save money on their rent and gain new connections and relationships.
In addition to spare rooms in older people’s homes, Wohnbuddy has unlocked the doors to 30+ rooms in care homes across Vienna where younger people, like 30-something-year-olds Imad and Charlotte, live on corridors alongside older people. Young and old alike are considered residents of the care home and neighbours to one another. The formal arrangement is that the younger residents offer 20 hours a month of volunteering time to the care home mostly in the form of social time with their older neighbours.
What are the rituals and rhythms of connection?
Charlotte and Imad, both students, describe their lives as ‘not particularly different to our friends who live in apartments, except a few more of our friends are in their 70s and 80s’. These are friends who sometimes need help getting back into bed at 3am and sometimes they forget their names (because they have dementia). Charlotte and Imad also stepped up in extraordinary circumstances during Covid and donned hazmat suits to help change beds in Covid wards. But mostly they just have fun together, try to be useful to one another and get on with the rest of their lives.
Charlotte described her own struggles with mental health and explained that living in the care home provided her with a really powerful backdrop to her life. On days when she struggles, she describes the feeling of knowing that just a few floors below hers and Imad’s apartment is the engine room of connection that the care home offers them. On these days all she has to do is drop down a couple of floors, plug into it and she’ll emerge afterwards feeling more human, more alive and less dwarfed by her mental health.
Meanwhile Imad, once a refugee and now an Austrian resident, describes the warm welcome he has received from his neighbours and friends in the care home. He said he has been made to feel nothing but welcome and that his older neighbours have offered solace and understanding as they’ve found mutual understanding through his experience of the Syrian war and their experiences of the world wars.
What does leadership look like?
Leadership is an interesting question for this case. On the one hand the role that Wohnbuddy plays in person-by-person matching older and younger residents together to share lives, time and connection is a resource heavy one. Marlene, co-founder of the organisation, describes the intense investment of time and resource involved with the matching work which mostly falls on her shoulders. She recognises the importance of it, but also struggles with the immense task which she juggles alongside her full-time job working with some of Austria’s most promising startups and entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile the care home offers leadership through its recognition that welcoming in two non-clinically trained younger residents to live alongside the older residents comes with risks that must be managed, but more importantly, opportunities that must be enabled.
What (if anything) is getting in the way?
In the little glimpse I had of Charlotte and Imad’s life in their care home, there was little that seems to get in the way of their life and the connections they make. Of course the inevitable strains of living in a place where your neighbours might, and often do, die doesn’t come without pain and grief. But this is just another part of this very human experience for them both.
In the words of others
“We feel so lucky to have had this opportunity. It won’t be our home forever, but it has shaped how we want to live the rest of our lives.” Charlotte
“Originally we hoped the matching work might be possible through an algorithm. But now we know that this is a human task, which AI can’t do as well and which devalues the potential of the human match we are hoping to make every time we make an introduction.” Marlene, WohnBuddy
Vollpension Cafe, Vienna
What’s the story here?
A group of 20-something-year-old social entrepreneurs set out 10 years ago with a simple question: can we grow some new social spaces with less of the stuffiness of Austria’s traditional austere cafe culture, and more of the sort of cake ‘our grandmothers used to make’?
Ten years later they have three cafes across Vienna all of which are offering beautiful cakes, served by a workforce that is made up of 50% 60+ year olds looking for some extra money to top up their pension, and 50% younger workers often recently graduated or newly arrived in the city.
This is a social business – everyone who works here is paid a wage, and the space is open to anyone who can cover the cost of a slice of cake and a bottomless cup of tea or coffee. Of course this means that there are people excluded from this space. But by existing outside of the targets, funding restrictions and safeguarding and risk management culture of charities, it also means that there are almost no limits to the ways that these cafes seed intergenerational connection for all who cross the threshold – be they patron or staff member. Whether it's the stereotype-bashing experience of being served a cup of tea by, and having a chat with, a waiter in their 70s wearing a flat cap, through to the relationships that have grown within the multi-generational workforce resulting in friendships that extend beyond the work hours and into cinema trips and even holidays between old and young.
What are the rituals and rhythms of connection?
There are many different rituals and rhythms to the connections enabled by Vollpension. I chatted with a couple of the patrons of the business to ask what brought them here and for them it was the opportunity to experience something different, something that feels ‘a bit more real’ than many of the cafes in Vienna.
For the younger staff I spoke to it was the opportunity to work somewhere that was more human than in other hospitality establishments.
And for the older people it was a combination of the opportunity to make a bit of money to top up their insufficient pensions, as well as the chance to play a purposeful part in their neighbourhoods at a time when many expect them to ‘stay at home and keep quiet’ in the words of one older team member.
What does leadership look like?
Vollpension Co-Founder David sees his role as ‘getting out of the way’ to allow humans to do what humans do best: collaborate, have fun and do a hard day’s work. Of course this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t sometimes have to step in to support the management of conflict, or other inevitable human-made challenges.
What (if anything) is getting in the way?
The question of scale to Vollpension is interesting. I was lucky to spend an hour with Co-Founder David whose role since the beginning has been to oversee the day-to-day running of the cafes. He spoke carefully and reservedly of the question of scale. On the one hand, the expansion from one to three sites was ‘a big learning journey’. What it took to create one successful cafe was a different task to growing it across different sites. Despite growing pains, the allure of scale is strong and the need for more of these sorts of spaces is clear. So it will be interesting to see where the current scale explorations take them as they consider setting up new cafes across Austria, and social franchising as a way of expanding in other European countries. What’s clear is that David isn’t naive about the challenges (and opportunities!) that lie ahead.
In the words of others
“It was important to us that we created a social business, not a charity. Giving everyone a job and a fair wage ensures we can all meet on the same level as humans.” David, Co-Founder of Vollpension
“This is a totally new sort of thing for Vienna, and people are loving it.” 30-something year old patron of Vollpension.
Hausgemeinschaften, Heidelberg
What’s the story here?
Hausgemeinschaften is essentially a community of communities. Across a handful of houses and apartments in the beautiful city of Heidelberg, many different people live together in small groups offering one another companionship, care and support. Within these groups there are many different ages, backgrounds, professions, health conditions and disabilities. At the heart of this community is the belief that everyone has strengths to contribute to the community, as well as needs they hope to have met by one another.
What are the rituals and rhythms of connection?
The small groups define the ways in which they connect. For some it’s a daily or weekly meal together, for others it’s ad hoc activities like cleaning, doing the gardening or going to the shops. The different households that make up the whole community have opportunities to come together weekly or monthly. When I visited we went on a trip to the neighbouring city of Mannheim where a new purpose-built intergenerational community (image left) is being built as part of a larger suburban development. Hausgemeinschaften is the partner appointed to build the community support mechanisms needed for the community to get off to the best possible start.
What does leadership look like?
At the heart of Hausgemeinschaften is 60-something-year-old Ingo and a few colleagues. They are tireless activists in pursuit of caring communities and have committed themselves and in some case orientated their whole lives to serving and enabling this community of communities. Within each household everyone assumes different leadership roles which is both a means and ends of the strengths-based ethos at the heart of the initiative. Testament to the value of this, Hausgemeinschaften secured the leading role in developing the communities and connections in a new housing development in Mannheim. The local government in Mannheim is itself leading the way by embedding devolved forms of leadership for community-based work in its neighbourhoods.
What (if anything) is getting in the way?
The toll of the work on Ingo is clear to see - his passion and determination over the 30 or so years during which he has led this effort has created a significant relationship between him and some of the more vulnerable or isolated members of the community. As he considers entering retirement (that said, he’s one of those people who admits he’s unlikely to ever truly retire!) one of the things he is taking most seriously is finding a way to devolve and evolve the leadership of the initiative in ways that are more sustainable than one dependable human in the middle of it all.
In the words of others
“I didn’t know it was possible to live in this way, to feel safe in this way, until I became part of this.” Resident of Hausgemeinschaften
The Good Kitchen, Mussomeli
What’s the story here?
To find Mussomeli, take a map of Sicily - located off the tip of the ‘boot’ of Italy - and put your finger roughly in the middle of the island and you’ll likely have landed on it. Italy’s rural areas, especially in the south, are demographically depleted after decades of migration of young people to cities and abroad in search of work. This has left towns like Mussomeli with a concentration of older people living longer as the economy struggles and fewer younger people and fulsome family units are on hand to support.
Responding to this perfect storm of social and economic challenges, Mussomeli is one of a growing number of rural towns in Italy and across Europe which have used the €1 home scheme to attract foreigners to invest in the place in return for characterful and dilapidated properties with stunning views. Danny McCubbin — an Aussie-turned-Brit-turned-Italian — arrived in 2019 drawn by the opportunity to bag himself a €1 house but decided to call this place home after falling hard for the town and its people (check him out in The Guardian, and on Clive Myrie’s Italian Road Trip).
So Danny set up The Good Kitchen in the town originally to provide ‘meals-on-wheels’ to anyone in the town who wanted them until he came to see that it is physical gathering spaces for relationships and community that rural communities like Mussomeli are crying out for. So that’s what he has started to build.
After two years The Good Kitchen is growing into a place where people of different ages, nationalities, interests and backgrounds all come to connect over cooking classes, community meals, women’s circles and much more.
What are the rituals and rhythms of connection?
The Good Kitchen is open 4 to 5 days a week. Located on the edge of Piazza Umberto - the main square in the old town of Mussomeli — it has big doors that open up creating a liminal space perfect for loitering, chatting and spontaneous connection. Weekly rhythms and rituals for connection include:
A ‘Nonna’s cooking class’ is hosted by a retired pasticceria chef for young people in partnership with a local charity.
There are weekly food and meal collections for anyone in the town who needs food due to hardship. The food is donated by supermarkets and the local fresh fruit and vegetable market.
The week culminates in The Sunday Meal. Held on Sundays — the time when most of southern Italy downs tools and heads for a family meal — this is a meal for everyone who doesn’t have another table to go to. At the heard of it is the commitment to ‘tutti benvenuti’ — everyone welcome. Volunteers — young and old alike — gather from 10am in the kitchen to prepare the meal.
What does leadership look like?
Danny had a few decades of working for Jamie Oliver in the UK under his belt before Covid hit and he stepped up to run community food hubs through lockdown in his neighbourhood in West London. He also has what his friend and collaborator Frank called ‘the human factor’ - a curiosity in people, a natural connecting warmth and energy, and the ability to meet people where they are, regardless of perceived differences and some very significant language barriers!
As ‘founder’ of The Good Kitchen, Danny’s leadership skill has been to create the conditions for anyone who wants to lead in this new space to step in and up. It’s testament to Danny’s energetic, inclusive and humble approach that the people of Mussomeli are doing so in their droves: there’s 60-something Calogera, a Nonna (grandma) and retired pasticceria chef who runs weekly cooking classes for kids; 50-something Frank the owner of the town’s photography studio and general ‘elder’ who sits on the board; 30-something Laura who works alongside Danny to manage the comings and goings of this place; 30-something Liu an Argentinian with Italian heritage who leads yoga and stretch sessions for anyone who wants them on Saturday mornings; a handful of teenage boys who turn up without fail every Sunday morning to help prepare the highlight of the kitchen’s week: a community meal available for anyone and everyone who wants a good meal and company.
What (if anything) is getting in the way?
There is much in Sicily’s context which undermines efforts like Danny’s to build and bolster connection and community. One example of this is the customs, standards and behaviours that make up ‘Sicilian pride’. In some senses this is of course a good thing — a strong sense of family-based pride offers strong, reliable safety nets for many, yet others experience it as ‘claustrophobic’. When the familial webs of relationships weaken due to migration, bad luck or errant family members, Sicilians are extremely unlikely to accept, let alone ask for, a helping hand. This means that Danny and The Good Kitchen’s relationships with people who might benefit from a helping hand — in the form of food or company and connection — develop slowly and respectfully. It’s only through trust and meaningful relationships that The Good Kitchen can offer what it can to people who might need meals or company — this is something that Danny expects will take many years to develop fully. For the kitchen to become part of Mussomeli’s fabric it must win the trust of the town with its consistency.
In the words of others
“Sometimes you need new eyes to see the landscape, the town, the people and the food we grew up with. Sometimes you need a totally free spirit to show you the graciousness of love. Well, this to me is Danny and his Good Kitchen.” Fabrizia Lanza, Director – Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School
The Eisner Foundation, The USA
What’s the story here?
The Eisner Foundation was established in the late 1990s as the philanthropic initiative of Michael Eisner who had a prolific entertainment industry career which included running the Walt Disney Company during the 1980s and 1990s.
Both due to the Disney connection, and himself having young children, Michael and his family set out originally to invest in initiatives and organisations seeking to improve young people’s lives. As time passed they added older people to their priority investment areas.
It was through investing in older and younger people’s organisations that a multigenerational mission for funding could be both impactful and unique. Eisner understood research into the field and came to realise that their relatively small (by US standards) annual grant giving total could have a catalytic influential effect on this often overlooked (or underestimated!) area of practice. So it was that Eisner chose to focus its purpose and seek to identify, advocate for and invest in high-quality and innovative programmes that unite multiple generations for the enrichment of communities.
What does leadership look like?
To the best of my knowledge (and the knowledge of anyone else I’ve asked as I’ve journeyed through this Fellowship) Eisner is the only foundation in the world whose primary focus is investing in and catalysing intergenerational or multigenerational change. The Foundation’s long-term commitment to investing in and building the field of multigenerational practice ensures it has wide-reaching impact. It has taken a bottom up and top down approach to its work ensuring that pioneering multigenerational work has been spotted, funded and amplified, alongside creating the infrastructure needed through organisations like CoGenerate which help to cohere good practice and build proper leadership across the field. Through all of this it has attracted new funding for multigenerational work ensuring that the rising tide which Eisner initiated in the 2000s has started to lift many more boats, so to speak. This is ambitious, long-term, painstaking leadership from Eisner.
What (if anything) is getting in the way?
There are perceptions that intergenerational work is a fluffy, frilly extra. That there are other social divides that are more important or more urgent than generational divides. This is exacerbated by a resource-scarce context in which limited resources are available to go around to initiatives and organisations wanting to build bridges. With its limited annual budget, it can feel to some that Eisner is merely a drop in the ocean of a wider field which sees multigenerational change as something to prioritise when other divides have been healed. However my overwhelming sense is that this is a short-sighted view of its impact which has seen a demonstrably stronger, more diverse, better funded and more coherent field of multigenerational practice in the USA as a result of its long-term, clear-eyed prioritisation of this area.
In the words of others
“Without Eisner’s long-term leadership in the field, it’s hard to imagine we’d have as many, or as richer, variety of funders investing in our work” Eisner grantee