Rotary links the generations….

During the last school year Chelwood Bridge Rotary Club funded an intergenerational dementia awareness project linking pupils at Stanton Drew Primary School with residents at Stanton Court Care Home..
The ‘Archie Project’ is run by a Somerset based charity, Reminiscence Learning, and aims at creating a higher level of awareness of the disease as well as breaking down barriers between the younger generations and those living with dementia. This is achieved by using the story of a scarecrow , Archie, who develops dementia and the impact it has on his life and those around him. Archie’s story is integrated into a range of curriculum activities at the school to raise awareness of the issue and explore various ways of assisting those affected. This educational work is linked to visits to the care home where the children interact with the residents using a ragdoll scarecrow representing Archie. These visits have proven very rewarding and are popular and are much anticipated by residents and pupils alike.
It has been a truly successful and inspirational project where both parties have gained a huge amount.
Some quotes:
School Head – Thank you Rotary for funding the project; it’s been a fantastic journey for children and school.
School Teacher – it was very beneficial to our pupils. We have learnt a lot about how empathetic the children can be and the importance of open communication.
Pupil 1 (age 8) – it’s lovely to see the residents as they are happy when we get there and they may not have many other visitors. We do fun activities and the residents enjoy them too.
Pupil 2 (age 9) – the residents are lovely and the activities were amazing and so much fun. I always oved going vto Stanton Court.