WIREDGOV

People are being invited to have their say on whether the portrayal of young and old people by the media is damaging the relationship between generations.

The Welsh Assembly Government-organised Citizens Jury will take place in Cwmbran made up of members of the public to consider evidence, cross examine witnesses and come to a verdict or make recommendations to address the issue.    

Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas will open the session.

Gwenda Thomas said:

"I am delighted to be opening this event as I truly believe that our communities will work better and grow stronger if trust is built  between the generations. We can all benefit from a greater understanding of each other needs and we can all learn a little more patience.

“I look forward to welcoming you all  to this Citizens Jury in Cwmbran. Your views are important to us as it will give us ideas about how we can tackle the difficult issues like the relationship between older and young people in our communities.”

This event is one of many which will be held across Wales to celebrate the UK/UN day for Older People.  It is also an opportunity for the Welsh Assembly Government to show its commitment to strengthening the relationships between the generations in today's society.

Wales has been inspirational in developing and nurturing many intergenerational projects.  One such local project  was the ‘Out of the Past into the Future’  organised by Big  Pit National Coal Museum and Torfaen Arts Development and involving pupils from two Blaenavon primary schools and  several  older residents of  the town. Young and old worked together on visual, musical and literary assignments to create a  multi-media exhibition  opening at Big Pit in January 2009 then  moving to various venues across Torfaen.

Older people

We have established a ten-year action plan to deal with the things that matter most in the lives of older people in Wales.