A “living library” project in Malaysia’s capital is lending out older people’s knowledge to the young, to improve the lives of pensioners and bridge Kuala Lumpur’s generation gap.
It links groups of students with retirement homes so older people can discuss the challenges they face living in the city.
The project is run by the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, an international network of young professionals from business, academia and civil society, seeking to make a positive impact in local communities.
“We rotate the students around the elderly,” said Renard Siew, a “curator” with Global Shapers, which has more than 375 hubs around the world. “We allocate about one and a half hours for the Living Library session, and then we all eat together.”
“Some of the elderly folks were lonely and isolated because they felt their next-of-kin had dumped them at this old folks’ home,” the 32-year-old told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
As well as sharing their life stories, the elderly participants also discuss safety issues in Kuala Lumpur, such as how long pedestrians get to cross roads and uneven pavements.
The young people draw on those chats at workshops where they chew over solutions to the problems troubling older people.
Set up in 2016, the Living Library project organizes up to three sessions with retirement homes each year, but would like to hold them monthly to meet demand.
The retirement homes involved declined requests to interview elderly participants.
Marcus Lim, 39, one of 23 “Global Shapers” in Kuala Lumpur, said the Living Library conversations start with pensioners’ life stories and move on to present-day challenges.
“Most of the young people feel inspired by the old people - what can they do to help them to live better?” said Lim, head of the business school at Swinburne University in Sarawak.
Source : Reuters
