South Shore podcast aims to bridge gap between young people, seniors
'You get to see all these people interacting and it just kind of brings [the] community closer'
A South Shore podcast aims to bridge the gap between young people and seniors in the community.
Scarlett Hill, 16, is one of more than a dozen youths at the Southwest YMCA in Bridgewater who help facilitate the podcast. She says the project brings together two age groups that don't regularly connect.
"To be able to connect to an older person and be able to have a good conversation and kind of trust them can really help not only the youth, but also the elderly," said Hill.
The podcast is a part of a youth leadership program at the YMCA. The participants, who range in age from 12 to 18, started planning the podcast in the fall and first interviewed a 94-year old woman.
Kim Whitman-Mansfield, the Southwest YMCA's youth director, said the youths started building rapport with the seniors and discovered that similarities between the two age groups often outnumber the differences.
"The feelings they feel aren't too dissimilar to some of the seniors … (who) can be somewhat isolated, especially in these rural communities," said Whitman-Mansfield. "So, it's been kind of good for them to see they're not alone in this."
Whitman-Mansfield says while YMCA staff are available to assist the youths when needed, the group has largely taken on some of the podcasting duties themselves. That includes doing mock interviews as practice and editing their recordings.
Natural conversation
Karen Anthony, 65, is one of the senior volunteers who was interviewed for the podcast.
It began with the youths asking Anthony a list of questions they had prepared but soon turned into a natural conversation about a variety of topics, including what it was like for her growing up in a different time but in the same local area.
Anthony says this project is a way she can provide the same type of mentorship she received and valued when she was younger.
"I just think it's so important that we reach out to our youth and let them know that we're here for them," she said. "And if they have questions about things, then we can help them with it."
The youths are working with local senior organizations to find another person to interview as they edit what has already been recorded.
Hill says she hopes this project will build bonds in her community — something she thinks is vital for all rural areas.
"You get to see all these people interacting and it just kind of brings [the] community closer," said Hill.
