Young and Old – TOGETHER

Children & youth

Jun 16

Written By Annikken Grieg Sæthre

Who: JOY

What: Young and Old – TOGETHER

Where: Bergen, Norway

Project period: 2026-2029

About the project

Eldre og unge - SAMMEN is an intergenerational project developed by JOY Norway to create meaningful activities and meeting places for young people and elderly residents living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The project is built on a simple but powerful idea: young and elderly people can be valuable resources for one another. Through regular visits and shared activities, young people gain a sense of belonging, purpose, responsibility and work experience, while elderly residents experience increased social interaction, activity and joy in everyday life.

SAMMEN addresses two significant societal challenges simultaneously. Many young people struggle with loneliness, exclusion and declining participation in organized activities, while many elderly residents living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities experience isolation, limited activity and fewer opportunities for meaningful social engagement. Rather than addressing these challenges separately, SAMMEN creates structured opportunities for the generations to meet, contribute and learn from one another.

Since its launch in Bergen, the project has grown from a small pilot initiative into a stable and scalable model involving approximately 80 young participants and 16 nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The project combines volunteer engagement, paid part-time work, leadership development and intergenerational learning. Young participants can gradually progress from volunteers to paid youth leaders with increasing levels of responsibility.

With support from Grieg Foundation, JOY Norway will continue to strengthen and expand the project while developing a national implementation model. The coming years will focus on research, quality assurance, model development and testing in additional municipalities. The long-term ambition is for SAMMEN to become a nationally transferable model that helps communities across Norway create warmer, more inclusive local communities where generations support and enrich one another.

About the organization

JOY Norway is a non-profit organization based in Bergen, Norway. Established in 2017, the organization works to create more inclusive communities by engaging children and young people in meaningful activities that benefit others. JOY Norway is governed by a board of directors, which serves as the organization’s highest governing body and is responsible for its overall strategic direction.

JOY Norway develops and operates the intergenerational project "Eldre og unge - SAMMEN" which brings young people and elderly residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities together through regular activities. The project combines youth development, social inclusion and community engagement in a model that promotes belonging, responsibility and meaningful participation.

JOY Norway is part of the wider JOY network, which was established in 2005. While JOY Norway focuses exclusively on community development and youth engagement in Norway, the separate organization JOY International works to improve the quality of life for children with disabilities in Azerbaijan.

The organization is supported through a combination of public funding, private foundations and voluntary contributions.