Abstract
As a response to the call for reimagining early childhood education for social sustainability in the future, this conceptual paper aims to suggest revisiting and strengthening the case to include intentional intergenerational engagements and programmes in kindergartens as approaches towards sustainable futures for children. In this paper, we argue that we must talk about intergenerational solidarity on all levels, including in early childhood education and care settings, and that it must be deliberate and by design. Learning from cultural–historical concepts and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, intergenerational programmes in early years settings are to be presented as intentional initiatives and opportunities for interrelated and collaborating actors and institutions to bring younger children and older adults together. We present a conceptual framework that features conflicts and opportunities within overlapping and congruent spaces to understand conditions for various intergenerational practices and activities in different places, and to promote intergenerational dialogues, collaborations and shared knowledge, contributing to a relational and socially sustainable future for which we aim.
Highlights
Sandro SerpaRelationships between the youngest and oldest life stages have been well documented by research throughout the years, within the family as an institution
Years institutions have long been considered an arena for cultural formation [13]
This paper aims to strengthen the call for the inclusion of intentional intergenerational programmes in early years settings, such as kindergartens
Summary
Sandro SerpaRelationships between the youngest and oldest life stages have been well documented by research throughout the years, within the family as an institution. Previous research has established the importance of these familial intergenerational interactions as a means to pass on cultural heritage, and contribute to cultural sustainability [6]. The past couple of decades have seen an increase in mobility from rural to urban areas [7], as well as movements to other countries or continents This internal and external migration is rooted in economic reasons as part of globalisation [8]. The diaspora means that there are more families with young children living away from grandparents, resulting in fewer interactions between generations [10]. In International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood; Siraj-Blatchford, J., Mogharreban, C., Park, E., Eds.; Springer International Publishing: Cham, Switzerland, 2016; pp. Thesis, PhD Programme in Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway, 2020
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