About Us
The Centre for Intergenerational Practice (CIP) was established in April 2001.  Its aims are to support the development of intergenerational practice throughout the UK and to promote an understanding of the potential of intergenerational practice to address social issues.  The Centre is part of the Beth Johnson Foundation.

Why a Centre for Intergenerational Practice?
In recent years, practitioners, researchers and policy-makers have increasingly recognised the importance of finding ways of building constructive relationships between generations.  However, this work has often been done in isolation and without proper recognition.  The Centre is a response to this and provides a national platrom for the development of intergenerational practice building on shared values of youth work and work with older people.

What does the Centre do?
The Centre supports a network of member organisations and individuals with a commitment to intergenerational practice.  The network helps to reduce the isolation often experienced by those interested in and carrying out intergenerational work.  It also seeks to connect those who share a common interest but who may not often come into contact - linking people from youth work and older people's organisations, for example, or connecting those in academia and the voluntary sector. 

The Centre provides network meetings as a platform for members to promote their work, share information, learn of projects and forge new contacts in an informal environment.  For more information on the benefits of becoming a member and to join the network click here.

Influences policy-makers
It is important that policy-makers understand the potential of intergenerational work to address social issues.  Developing relationships with policy-makers and influencing them to create an environment where best practice can flourish is an essential element of the Centre's work within Beth Johnson Foundation.  Click here for an example of a briefing paper prepared for a Ministerial Round Table Discussion.

Conducts events
The Centre organises seminars, regional network meetings and the UK intergenerational conference.

Gathers evidence and resources of the benefits of intergenerational practice
The Centre works to promote evaluation of intergenerational programmes and research into the impact of intergenerational approaches.

Accredited Approved Provider Standard
Designed for organisations providing or developing intergenerational projects.

Fosters international links
The Beth Johnson Foundation is the UK founding member of the International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes (ICIP).  The Foundation serves as the secretariat for ICIP and hosted ICIP's first international intergenerational conference, held at Keele University, 2-4 April 2002.  ICIP is an international membership organisation focused on promoting intergenerational programmes, strategies and public policy from a global perspective.  

Advisory Group
The Centre is supported and guided by an Advisory Group which is composed of leading members from a cross-section of organisations involved in intergenerational work.

If you would like further information on the Centre, or to be included on our mailing list of members, please contact us.