SINGAPORE: With plenty of initiatives already to get senior citizens to stay active, the focus is now zooming in on programmes that get the young involved as well — so as to spur bonding across the generations.

Yesterday, a S$2 million fund was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng to promote activities such as dialect lessons in school taught by older folk, or a weekend walk involving both young and old. The fund can also support programmes by companies to promote inter-generational bonding at the workplace.

Individuals and organisations keen on tapping the fund for activities can submit their proposals to the Council for Third Age (C3A). Said the council’s vice-president for communications and international relations Phyllis Choo: “We’d like the public to be as creative as possible. You can have the old teaching the young, the young teaching the old, something to promote closer ties. The range of possibilities is endless.”

The fund is being set aside out of C3A’s $20-million Golden Opportunities Fund that was launched in 2006.

Mr Wong, who took part in a Grandparents’ Day walk yesterday at Esplanade Park with his family members — including his three-year-old grandson — said grandparents today are economically active and tend to volunteer or pursue hobbiesand sports. But it was also important for them to keep up with the latest developments, bond with the young in their families and maintain a social network with other grandparents, added Mr Wong, who is also the Home Affairs Minister.

With one in three people aged 55 and above caring for their grandchildren, he said: “The benefits of grandparenting is not a one-way street. Grandparents can learn from the little ones how fun and exciting life can be. As all grandparents know, we can get a workout caring for our grandchildren.”

Parents have little time to appreciate how their children grow because they are often too caught up in their careers, he added. “But as grandparents, we could take a more detached view and watch how our grandchildren change and develop bythe months.” TODAYrose