Older CALD residents often experience social isolation due to language, cultural and accessibility barriers. At the same time, students have limited opportunities to build meaningful relationships across generations. This became the starting point for Gen.Connect.

The Background

Secondary research revealed that social isolation is shaped by overlapping cultural, linguistic and accessibility barriers rather than a single issue.

Key Insights

• Older CALD participants were more digitally confident than expected.

• Councils prioritised implementation feasibility and funding.

• Teachers emphasised structured play and reflection to encourage engagement.

Conceptualising

Through desktop walkthroughs, storyboards and rapid roleplay, we refined the program into a cooking and shared-meal experience that balanced accessibility, engagement and ease of implementation.

The Solution

Gen.Connect connects schools, councils and community organisations through a shared service model. Rather than creating a new system, it builds on existing community resources to deliver meaningful intergenerational experiences.

The Outcome

Outcomes

✓ Stakeholders validated the need for an intergenerational service.
✓ Community organisations expressed interest in future implementation.
✓ Roleplay testing improved accessibility and participant engagement.
✓ Existing partnerships increased long-term feasibility.

Looking Back

Lessons Learned

• Designing services means balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders rather than a single user.
• Low-barrier participation often creates stronger engagement than complex interactions.
• Rapid prototyping and roleplay reveal service challenges earlier than documentation alone.
• Long-term impact depends on community partnerships rather than standalone interventions.