Intergenerational event aims to beat loneliness

 

The first of a series of intergenerational events to combat loneliness and strengthen mental wellness launches in Mangawhai in April.

The event is open to new mums and dads (with a youngest child of up to 3) and over 65s and includes a free lunch, discussion about mental wellness and intergenerational bonding, a mindfulness session with mindfulness coach Brittany Kendall and more.

It’s being held at the BeforeSix Childcare Centre on Sunday, April 7 between 11am and 2pm. The event host is a charity called Nappkin – a subfund of the Perpetual Guardian Foundation – set up this year with the goal of addressing loneliness and promoting mental wellness in communities.

Nappkin founder Hannah Norton, 31, lost her mother to suicide when she was nearly three. The idea for Nappkin was formed while she was on a Fujitsu Global Leaders’ scholarship last year, based in Japan, Hawaii, Singapore and Thailand.

“A key element of the scholarship was producing a ‘capstone project’ where you have a cause or an issue that you’re passionate about solving. Mine was suicide, but it became quickly apparent that this was a lofty goal: suicide has many different causes and I’m no real expert in the area, even though I have been directly affected. Instead, under the guidance of Fujitsu Japan’s innovation advisors, I looked at ways to increase mental wellness, and part of that is around social connectedness and community.

“I interviewed many Kiwi mums who had suffered from post-natal depression as part of the research process, and loneliness was something that come up over and over again. By the same token, loneliness is a huge problem in elderly communities too – and it’s saddening to think these two demographics can sometimes be at home on their own without vital connection and social interaction. While efforts like this won’t necessarily cure depression, I think rebuilding connectivity within communities can certainly help with encouraging mental wellness, and mental wellness is something everyone can be part of.”

Hannah opted to host the first event in Mangawhai as she has a strong connection to the area – her grandfather was a Mangawhai Beach School student until 1946, she spent her teenage years here as an Otamatea High School student, her family and friends live here and she still has a small bach here.

“I thought Mangawhai would be a good initial space as it’s already got a great community feel, but with a lot of people moving up here in recent years, perhaps not the same level of intergenerational bonding as in the past.”
The next events will be held in Waipu and in Manukau, Auckland. Hannah aims to make it an annual event in Mangawhai and in communities across Northland and Auckland.

 Nappkin charity founder Hannah Norton is passionate about building mental wellness.