Bridging Intergenerational Relationships:
The Necessary Connection

As societies around the world (including Singapore) grapple with the realities of ageing populations and extended life expectancies, we are confronted with a new challenge:

How do we ensure that this added longevity is not just healthy, but meaningful and socially integrated?

Too often, ageing is framed through a deficit lens.

What we lose, what declines, what disconnects.

But what if ageing could be a force for connection? A shared journey across generations, instead of a siloed experience?

This is the invitation offered by Associate Professor Thang Leng Leng, Head of Department of Japanese Studies at NUS Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, in her DSFP seminar: to reimagine the spaces where the old and young meet, not as transactional but transformational.

The seminar explores the intergenerational approach, an emerging paradigm in ageing societies that focuses on meaningful exchange across age divides.

DSFP candidates will be introduced to:

• Definitions and theoretical underpinnings of intergenerational practices
• International case studies and promising models in policy and community design
• The dual benefits of intergenerational relationships for older adults and the young alike

Then, theory turns into practice. In a collaborative second half, candidates team up to brainstorm and prototype a hypothetical intergenerational initiative set in a community of their choice. These ideas will then be critiqued for their potential benefits and challenges, bridging the academic with the applied.

More than just a seminar, this session is a provocation.

“In an era of longevity and demographic transformation, bridging the generation gap isn’t just idealistic or optional. It’s essential. Intergenerational connection is not only a source of joy and mutual learning; it is the very fabric that binds a resilient and compassionate society,” stressed Prof Thang.