Meet & Speak: One Circle, Many Worlds
Summary
Meet & Speak is a low-threshold intergenerational practice that brings together older local residents and internationals through facilitated language and cultural exchange. The goal is to strengthen social participation, reduce social isolation, and challenge ageist assumptions by creating reciprocal encounters across age, culture, and language.
The practice was developed through collaboration between the International Office of the University of Oldenburg and inForum, a municipal civic engagement service of the City of Oldenburg. Sessions are designed to be welcoming, informal, and non-hierarchical. Meet & Speak emphasised exchange on equal footing. It creates a shared space where older adults are positioned as active conversation partners, cultural knowledge holders, and hosts of lived experience. Internationals, in turn, contribute their languages, cultural perspectives, and global experiences.
Meet & Speak aligns with several WHO Age-Friendly Cities and Communities domains, especially social participation, respect and social inclusion, and community support and connectedness. Activities such as themed conversations, storytelling, and shared meals support sustained interaction and relationship building.
Observations from multiple implementation rounds indicate high engagement and strong participant interest. Older participants have reported increased social vitality, purpose, and openness toward younger generations, while internationals have reported greater confidence in local language use, reduced loneliness, and a stronger sense of belonging. A key lesson learned is that simple, low-cost formats can create meaningful intergenerational contact when they are intentionally designed around reciprocity, curiosity, and shared humanity.
Key facts
Main target group: Both younger and older people (i.e. intergenerational)
Sector(s): Education, Health
Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships
- Ageism
- Intergenerational activities
- Inclusion
- Participation
Contact details
Name: Chong, Shin-Wee
Email address: meet.speak@my-silverlining.org
Preferred language(s): English, German, Chinese