Glasgow's young people creating life-changing bonds with elderly

EVIP is an Enhanced Vocational Inclusion Programme which offers young people – who respond better to education in a different setting - an alternative to mainstream secondary school education and the opportunity to study vocational qualifications.

(Image: Picture taken by Colin Mearns, Newsquest) From helping youngsters with mock interviews to getting them enrolled in college, the Glasgow City Council programme has recently teamed up with The Listening Heart Project which supports the elderly.

It saw the EVIP youngsters helping the older people with exercises, activities, and socialising.  

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Nicola McKenzie, EVIP development officer, told the Glasgow Times: “The young kids and older people are developing relationships and having intergenerational chat which is lovely and transformational.

“We had the older people say that they loved the youngsters like they were family and one week they were all making friendship bracelets together and some of the older women were using the beads to make the word ‘love’ to give to the youngsters.

“The kids took the older people for some armchair exercises and music and one of the young girls got the music that was playing in the room onto her phone and held it up to one of the woman’s ears because she was struggling to hear.  

“As some of the pupils do beauty programmes, they did facials on the older people too while the older people showed the youngsters how to make their own cards.

“They were taking care of each other and learning from each other and that is really powerful.”

(Image: Picture taken by Colin Mearns, Newsquest) However, being part of The Listening Heart volunteer group, the youngsters were also helped significantly by working with older people.

As a lot of the youngsters involved in EVIP have grown up with trauma or may never have had access to older people, they learned how to open up and communicate with confidence, as well as become their best selves.

Nicola said: “Through the project, young people have learnt how to be responsible and offer a helping hand.

“On their last session, there were 10 rounds of cuddles because the youngsters and elderly felt happy and safe there.

“There is also a boy who comes from a difficult home life, and he is so angry but when he’s there he smiles, tidies up and he’s happy. He’s a different boy.

“That transformation in some of the kids and elderly has been amazing.”

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(Image: Service users Marion Gillen (left) and Harriet Keatings (right) with youngsters Aimee McKnight (left) Marisa Armstrong, former pupil, spoke about her own experience with the project.

The 16-year-old said: “I loved going to The Listening Heart and hearing all the stories about their lives when they were younger. 

“I used to go home and tell my mum about the ladies that I met, and she thought it was a great thing to bring the generations together, both actually helping each other.   

“It was good to feel like we were helping them with exercising and supporting those who didn’t have much movement or confidence.

“I feel it gave me a better understanding of how to talk to and interact with the older generation and it was good to show them that not all teenagers cause trouble.

“I actually go in and visit them now on my own because it had such an impact on me.”

Marissa is now undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship with Glasgow Life.

Kaitlyn Kelly, another former pupil, 16, added: “It was heartwarming to spend time with the people at The Listening Heart. Mostly for me, it was just a really great experience to spend time together.”

(Image: Picture taken by Colin Mearns, Newsquest.)

Seeing the incredible impact these young people have made on older generations, EVIP: The Listening Heart Project is a finalist in this year’s Glasgow Times Community Champion Awards.

The annual award ceremony which is this year held in association with Glasgow City Council, Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust and St Enoch Centre, celebrates everything great about the city and its people.

EVIP is in the running for the Youth Champion title, which will be announced at the grand final on December 4.

Other finalists in the Youth Champion category are volunteering superstar Aimee Love and talented artist Fynn Mackie, who won a citywide civic pride contest.

For the full list of finalists, click HERE

Speaking on the recognition, Nicola said: “I’m so thrilled that the young people are being recognised for the efforts they have put in.

“We set it up, but they run it.

“Listening Heart gave us an opportunity when not everyone would, and it has opened young people’s eyes to the opportunities available to them.”