Older people and young people build connections during the Belfast Children’s Festival

The intergenerational engagement was one of the 130 events which took place over 10 days as part of the 28^th annual Belfast Children’s Festival, organised by Young at Art. The renowned festival, which focuses on family-friendly creative activities, performances and events is, in terms of visitor footfall, the largest children’s festival across the UK and Ireland and principally funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through National Lottery funding.

Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented on the importance of the festival:

“Everyone has a right to access the arts, and it’s important that if we want to grow arts audiences throughout their lives, that we have dedicated arts provision for children and young people - that’s what the Belfast Children’s Festival provides for.

“Watching the expressions on the faces of the children during this particular event was magical to watch, and clear to see how important it is for early age encounters with the arts to sustain engagement throughout their lives. Similarly seeing the older people engage with the young people was a testament to the transformational power of the arts and how enriching it can be to people’s lives.

To accompany the performance of Shall we...together, Young at Art, in partnership with Commedia of Errors’ Plays Aloud and National Museums NI, are working with children from four nursery schools and eight older people's settings across Belfast, including Knocknagoney Nursery School and Clifton House Care Home. This was part of an intergenerational project partly funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s National Lottery funded Arts and Older People programme to increase access to, and engagement with, performing arts.

Eibhlín de Barra, Director, Young at Art/Belfast Children's Festival, explained more about the project:

“In the run up to and following the performance the groups take part in workshops to build connections, improve their wellbeing, and explore movements which were mirrored in the event performance.

“On the day of the event the groups enjoyed a trip away from their usual setting to visit the Ulster Museum and watch Shall we...together, which saw two dancers connect on stage and slowly bring the audience into the performance, connecting the older people with the young people, and seeing them engage with each other, be curious with their movements, and have fun.

“Although the project is still running with post-performance workshops still to come over the coming weeks, we have already had incredible feedback of the impact of the project, with one older participant describing it as ‘medicinal art for all present’. Another leaving the performance said ‘Of my 93years I have never witnessed such joy - it was all love, right there in front of us. Love between the dancers, the youngsters and ourselves. And sure, isn't that what it's all about?’. I couldn't agree more! That's the transformative power of a shared arts experience that unites generations."

To find out more about the Belfast Children’s Festival visit Belfast Children's Festival- Young At Art