Join us for a free online gathering, in partnership with Sue Mayo. The Intergenerational Forum is an informal space for arts & wellbeing providers to meet and share ideas around developing intergenerational practice in their services.
In arts work where there is an ambition to co-create, a complex conversation emerges between facilitators and participants, and lots of questions arise.
The role of facilitators is quite rightly understood as multi-skilled, requiring excellent arts expertise, communication skills, the ability to bring everyone in, to manage individuals as well as the group, to name but a few of the skills.
In this session we’ll explore the notion that a dynamic can develop where the ability of a group to look after itself and each other is overlooked or squashed, and we’ll explore what the conditions are to create a space where everyone is needed, and the many forms of expertise in the room find their place.
Sue has explored three case studies in an article on collective care, and she will share these as well as some underpinning theoretical understandings. We’ll look at some examples from Talawa Theatre Company in their work with Kindred, at Women for Refugee Women’s drama group, and at Entelechy’s Elders company, and reflect on a particular moment from an artist’s reminiscence session with the elders at Sutton House.
It was this one moment that made Sue begin to think about the importance of moments when the artist/facilitator sits back, and the importance of knowing what to do, and what not to do.
There will be opportunities to reflect on our own practice and how we can balance collective care with our responsibility, as often one of the only paid people in the room.
About the Intergenerational Forum:
This forum is an informal space for peer sharing and learning. We meet three times a year and anyone who is interested in developing their intergenerational practice is very welcome to join!
This forum is for arts and wellbeing providers who want to:
- reflect on learnings from intergenerational projects
- celebrate the successes
- discuss the challenges
- meet other people interested in sharing & developing intergenerational practice in their work
- and discuss ideas for how we can create more opportunities for intergenerational connections going forward.
Join us to share ideas, refine your intergenerational practices and meet other progressive people who are striving to innovate and excel in services for older and younger people.
About Sue Mayo
Sue Mayo is a Theatre maker and researcher, working mainly in community performance practice. She specialises in intergenerational work, enjoying the erosion of age stereotypes and the increase in creativity that this brings.
As Associate artist with Magic Me, a leading intergenerational arts charity, she has developed the practice of intergenerational arts both designing and leading women’s projects over 18 years, mentoring artists, and running training in the UK and internationally. She worked for 17 years at Goldsmith’s, University of London, including 10 years as Director of the Masters in Applied Theatre, where she won two awards for Public Engagement.
Her main focus currently is Breaks & Joins. This enquiry into repair – of our stuff, ourselves, our communities, has embraced community projects using visual arts and writing, training in community building for artists and community activists, and an ongoing podcast with repairers of all kinds. With collaborator Chuck Blue Lowry Breaks & Joins has created a short film and a half hour film, Can everything be mended? which has upcoming screenings in the UK and the USA.
Date:
Wednesday 7th October 2026, 11am – 12.30pm BST
