Conference session

In a time of increasing loneliness and cultural fragmentation, this session explores a central question: How can intentional, non-familial intergenerational collaboration rebuild belonging across generations? Drawing on qualitative research conducted in Quebec, this presentation introduces a community-based model that brings adolescents (13-16) and older adults (55+) together in weekly, arts-informed, one-on-one encounters. Grounded in the Intergenerational Solidarity Model, generativity theory, Indigenous principles of reciprocity, the Seven Generations worldview, and Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, the project reframes elder-youth interaction as a reciprocal exchange of memory, wisdom, creativity, and hope. Rather than positioning elders as recipients or youth as helpers, the model centres mutual recognition and shared meaning-making through storytelling and simple creative practices. This session will benefit educators, community leaders, arts practitioners, health professionals, and policymakers seeking scalable, relational responses to isolation. Participants will leave with a practical framework for fostering intergenerational collaboration, insights into arts-informed engagement, and a deeper understanding of how humanities-based approaches can strengthen identity, resilience, and social connection. At this inflection point, intergenerational relationships emerge not as nostalgic ideals—but as powerful strategies for collective renewal.