Generations bond over tea in Roosevelt Park

Though the community may bid farewell to the ‘month of love’ it’s the residents of MHA Rose Village who will always feel the love, no matter the month, from learners of Parktown High School for Girls. On a recent weekend a large group of the school’s learners headed to the retirement village where they spent the morning with elderly.

Visits to this specific group of elderly have been a school tradition for over 10 years. A teacher at the school, Narisha Govender, said there seems to be a growing segregation between generations in our country, such visits aid in providing heart-warming opportunities for learners and the elderly to build precious bonds through fun activities and conversation. “Respect for each other is what has allowed these relationships to flourish. Our learners’ communication skills and empathy are developed as they learn how to understand people of different ages in different situations. Many of our learners have not had the opportunities to interact with their grandparents or great-grandparents regularly because of distance and busy lifestyles that their parents lead.” Their learners and the residents are entertained through each other’s stories and get joy from singing and dancing together. “Our kids love hearing stories of how the residents grew up and the games they played before cellphones and computers were invented,” she said.

A tea, catered by the learners, saw them serve up not only delicious treats prepared by them but also some great entertainment too through the marimba band, contemporary dancers, and musicians. It was the excitement and love with which the learners were welcomed by residents that Govender described as being priceless. She noted how they are always so expressive of how grateful they are for the time spent with them. We cherish the love and hugs.

“Some of our highlights from Saturday include learning how to line dance from the residents and Pam Quin (a resident of Rose Village and an Old girl of our school and an ex-headmistress of our school) sharing with us moments from the Valentine’s assemblies they had when she was a learner at the school. It was interesting to hear that traditions such as the Valentine’s assembly with Parktown Boys has been continued for a century now. Although some things have changed over time it’s evident that the excitement of the girls looking forward to this annual assembly with the boys is just as great as it was a hundred years ago,” said Govender.

Such visits will always be important to the school, Govender explained, as both the youth and older generations have so much to share and learn from each other. “These human connections are so important in making people feel valued and appreciated, as well as creating a sense of community, especially in a world that is evolving technologically at a rapid rate at the expense of losing core values.” As learners learn by watching and observing and they are proud of the fact that Rose Village provides a positive environment for them to learn and practice the values of kindness and gratitude.

The next bonding experience they look forward to is the school’s spring and Heritage Month celebrations with the residents in September.

Related article: All the fun to be had at MHA Rose Village