Literature and transgenerational transmission: Intergenerational project of sponsorship reading in the residential sector

Abstract

Many intergenerational projects have been carried out in educational field, but very few of them involved institutionalized older people. A project for a sponsorship reading was designed. This project whose main aim is to teach literary knowledge, is going to promote a participatory and inclusive integration of older people in order to enhance their life stories and the books that influenced them. The aim of this work was to improve motivation and reading habit with a dialogue between various generations thought a mentoring program of reading. This work intended to improve self-steem, to increase positive affectivity, to decrease negative affectivity and depressive symptomatology. The intervention lasted six months with weekly sessions and included 27 students and 17 institutionalized elderly people. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation included pre-test and post-test questionnaires and semi-structured interviews at the end of the project. Significant results were found in all areas. We conclude that inter-generational projects can be beneficial for all participants. Apprenticeship and dialogue about classical works can encourage reading, bring well-being and increase positive values to both generations.