Commissioner’s Blog – The Generation Game: Global Intergenerational Week 2026
The benefits of different generations coming together are celebrated each year as part of Global Intergenerational Week.
For the first time this year, each day focuses on a different theme in particular, such as challenging ageism, tackling environmental issues, or reducing loneliness.
Today’s theme is ‘creating intergenerational spaces and communities’, which is a hugely important, though sometimes overlooked, aspect of creating opportunities for connection, belonging, shared heritage and mutual respect.
These pillars echo our long-standing traditions here in Wales of storytelling, chapels, community halls, Eisteddfodau, and other moments where different generations come together in their everyday lives.
Spaces like these are important as they help create communities where everyone feels valued, connected, and empowered – learning from the past, active in the present and working together to shape the future.
When people of different ages collaborate, we see stronger social bonds across estates, villages, towns, and rural communities. Trust grows. Understanding grows. Mutual respect grows.
And when generations see themselves as partners, not as separate age groups – learning together, sharing culture and traditions, and supporting one another through times of change – community cohesion is strongest.
So alongside protecting these spaces and opportunities, we also need to create new opportunities, building on good practice that has already had a positive impact.
A powerful example of this is Menter Môn’s Ein Hanes Ni project, which brings children and older residents together to record memories, shared histories, and experiences of local places.
Young people interview older members of their community, capturing stories that you won’t find in books or archives: stories about everyday life, work, language, culture, and change.
What makes the project so impactful is that in addition to preserving local history and strengthening the Welsh language, it also builds confidence amongst both age groups while establishing genuine, lasting relationships between generations.
This week I’ve also seen the benefits of intergenerational activities first hand, visiting the Van Community Centre Gardening Club, which provides an outdoor space for people of all ages to develop new gardening skills, learning from each other while also picking up tips from local experts.
I’m also looking forward to visiting a number of intergenerational projects up in Wrexham, including Book of You’s Care Home Buddy Project, which connects volunteers with older people living in care homes who have few, if any, visitors.
These examples highlight the wide range of opportunities already out there that could be built upon and rolled out more widely to bring even more people together across Wales.
But I also want to see action at a strategic level to ensure intergenerational opportunities are enabled across policy and practice.
This means embedding such approaches as a core expectation in policy development – across social care, education, housing, transport, culture, and economic policy – with public bodies clearly demonstrating how their policies foster relationships across age groups and contribute to long‑term community cohesion.
What’s more, there needs to be greater support for schools, further education, and higher education to build ongoing intergenerational partnerships with community groups, cultural organisations, care homes, and employers.
And we need to continue to use arts, culture, volunteering and even inclusive digital spaces to bring people from different age groups together over common interests or shared endeavours, to help build trust, understanding, and resilience between generations.
None of this requires starting from scratch. It’s about building on what already works and recognising the huge value of connection across ages.
So let’s invest in projects that we know will make a positive impact across generations. And let’s work together to ensure that every person in Wales – whatever their age – feels connected, respected and heard.
