North East gets new older people-led news team inspired by Yellow Jigsaw project
 

Our older people’s led news project based in Greater Manchester, Talking About My Generation, has inspired another group to form in Sunderland, with the help of Sunderland City Council and Sunderland Ageing Well Ambassadors.

Talking About My Generation facilitators and volunteer reporters are helping to set up the group and pass on their valuable skills to see the new team in the North East flourish.

The new We’ar Shining the Light news team, made up of people aged 50 plus, will capture stories that break ageing stereotypes and gather positive stories of later life.

They will also cover reports on local arts, culture, sports and nostalgia – and share them via Sunderland: Our Smart City

Starting in April 2023, the 15-member strong (and growing) team will cover a variety of skills from writing a news story to photography, video creation and podcasting.

Liz St Louis, director of smart cities at Sunderland City Council, said: “With an ageing population comes new challenges to support evolving social, economic and health needs. As a smart city, we are better equipped to leverage the power of technology to both assist and empower our older residents.

“The We’ar Shining The Light news team represents an opportunity for us to connect and communicate with older people, via an engaged team of like-minded individuals, in order to support and inspire residents across Sunderland.

“This collaboration will provide a crucial link to cascade relevant information, boost confidence and promote independence for the older generation. This aligns very well to our city-wide commitment of leaving no one and nowhere behind.”

Kirsty Day, media director at Yellow Jigsaw and project lead for Talking About My Generation, said: “We are so pleased that we are able to support another area of England to carry out this valuable work which we have seen amazing outcomes from across Greater Manchester where the project began.
 
“We are proud to be the first-ever older peoples-led news team – but even more proud that we are now joined by Sunderland, to all champion the belief that we can, and should, all expect to age positively.”
 
Could you benefit from media training or consultancy to amplify the voices of older people in your area? Get in touch for a chat and some tips to get you started!