We have reached the end of Positive Ageing Week which was held from 1 – 7 October this year. I listened to an interview with Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh during the week and was struck by what a positive and visible role model he is at the age of 88.  If you are not familiar with Bryson William Verdun Hayes, he is someone who has certainly challenged stereotypes on what life is like for those who reach their 100 birthdays.

I shared his story at assembly on Friday and asked our pupils what they understood by ‘old’. There were some interesting answers. One of our Junior Infants thought 19 was old! Older pupils gave serious thought to their suggestions. One thought 18 was old as an 18-year-old is considered an adult and can vote. Another suggested 65 was old as it brought free travel.

Whatever we consider old, what struck me is how many of our current pupils will reach their 100th birthday and I wondered what their lives will be like. Will they live in a world where health, well-being and equality will be prioritised?

The education we provide for this current generation will help to determine their future lives. This reinforces for me the importance of our Learn Together curriculum with its strands of Equality and Justice and Ethics and the Environment.  Our emphasis on well-being and creativity in RETNS will also help our pupils prepare for the huge challenges this generation will face.

To mark Positive Ageing Week, our children could spend some time with the older people in their own lives, whether that be grandparents, neighbours or friends. Not all older people have stories like Bryson William Verdun Hayes who at the age of 101 became the oldest sky-diver on record. However, all have stories to share and this might be the perfect  week for our children to get in touch with the older people in their own  lives.

Maeve