You, Me, Us
A group of children and older participant acting out a story
Bringing generations together through story and play.
You, Me, Us is an intergenerational early years storytelling project developed by The Together Project and funded by Save the Children.
Delivered between August 2025 and February 2026 in Tower Hamlets, the project brought together children aged 3–6, their parents or carers, and older people from the local community at Idea Store Whitechapel, a library and learning space in Tower Hamlets.
Working in partnership with a local primary school we explored themes, interest and needs within a group of reception age children through two creative and interactive co-creation workshops.
Older adults from local residential settings joined the families in a six-week series of interactive storytelling and creative art sessions, resulting in an art installation displayed in the children’s library.
This led to growing confidence in young children, joy and purpose for older adults, and a stronger sense of community connection within a shared public space.
Why we created You, Me, Us
Young children and older adults rarely share activities in community spaces such as libraries, yet both benefit enormously from meaningful connection, expressing themselves through art and sharing their stories.
This project set out to:
Build early years confidence and communication skills
Reduce isolation for older adults, making them feel valued
Transform the library into a playful intergenerational hub
Foster community cohesion
Busy creating crafts
The impact
You, Me, Us demonstrated the powerful impact of co-creation, sharing stories and using art to connect communities. The sessions showed that every theme transcended the generations and held interest for all age groups with families describing the sessions as welcoming, joyful and inclusive.
Parents and Early Years staff reported:
Increased confidence in children
Improved communication skills and focus
High enjoyment in exploring art materials and a changed attitude to art activities in the home
Greater comfort interacting with older adults
Increased interest in visiting the library and borrowing books
Older participants displayed
increased happiness
feeling valued
having something meaningful to contribute
“The intergenerational element made it feel more meaningful and more like a community within the area”
“The sessions have made my child want to go to the library more. It’s made it more welcoming for him”
“Being amongst the kids makes me feel happy”
Older participant and child having a chat
A model for future delivery
You, Me, Us offers a replicable, scalable model that supports local authority goals around:
School readiness and communication development in the early years
Community-based family engagement
Older adult wellbeing
Inclusive arts participation
Supporting early years language, literacy and communication outcomes
Encouraging library use and book borrowing in the early years
With the right partnerships and funding, this intergenerational model can be adapted for communities across the UK.
Want to bring this to your area?
We’re keen to hear from local councils, funders and delivery partners who’d like to explore the You, Me, Us model.
Get in touch: hello@thetogetherproject.org.uk