One table, five generations, life-affirming connections.

“We all have more in common than that which divides us.”

– Dinner guest

What’s the idea?

On an autumn evening in Melbourne, nine strangers spanning five generations gather around a dinner table. Together, they share food and stories, and reflect on the differences between their generations. By the end of the night, however, it’s not the differences they’ve come to see most clearly. It’s how much, ultimately, they all share in common.

This unlikely gathering – of community members aged in their 20s to their 80s – is part of a growing global initiative called Generations Over Dinner. The concept is simple – to inspire meaningful conversations across generations, through an experience that connects and values the perspectives of all ages. 

Inspired by the framework and conversation scripts from the Generations Over Dinner program team, the gathering in Melbourne has been pulled together by Gina Haebich – founder of Joining Generations, in partnership with local community centre, SPAN Community House. In preparation, Gina shared an invitation with limited seats for each generation around the table – ensuring the spread of ages and life stages that brings such a unique and special flavour to the gathering.

While Generations Over Dinner can be started in a range of ways, this one starts off with an invitation for guests to share and honour a generational ancestor who has had a positive impact on their lives. Guests share stories of parents, grandparents and great grandparents who have helped shape them – sparking conversations that continue over the delicious Indian feast. 

Guests are then invited to share one common misconception that people have about their generation. A series of interesting exchanges ensue, in which people compare the reality of their own lived experience to the widely held stereotypes. As people compare their realities with familiar assumptions – like the idea that all Baby Boomers are wealthy homeowners – it quickly becomes clear how poorly those stereotypes fit real lives. Instead, a growing sense of intergenerational solidarity arises – of knowledge and wisdom being passed down through the ages, and a passing back of gratitude and appreciation for what previous generations have done to improve the lives we live today. 

One participant described discovering a “golden thread” running through every generation around the table – a thread that appeared quickly through the simple act of sharing stories and experiences. 

What does it help us imagine?

The power of Generations Over Dinner lies in its simplicity.

Sharing food and stories is one of humanity’s oldest traditions. Generations Over Dinner simply adds a few extra pieces of intentionality – making sure people at the table span different generations, and offering thoughtful questions to spark meaningful conversations. 

The reflections shared by participants at the end of the night help us see how quickly we can break down ageism, stereotypes and misconceptions when we take the time to connect and listen across so-called divides. And they remind us how uplifting it can be to spend time in conversation with people at other stages of life. 

After just a few hours together, every guest reported a greater appreciation of the importance of a multigenerational world, and agreed that the dinners are a positive way of changing attitudes towards ageing. When asked for one word to describe how they were feeling at the end of the dinner, some of the words guests shared were “connected”, “uplifted”, “appreciative” and “happy”.

“My cup feels full after tonight. It’s so nourishing to be at a table full of people of all ages and finding the things that connect us all together. What a privilege it is to age. And a privilege to share a meal.”

 – Participant

If a relatively simple event like this can build such strong connection and understanding between the generations, what might be possible if we created opportunities for people of all ages in our community to come together more regularly? If gatherings like this became a regular part of community life across Australia? These are the possibilities we’re left hopefully imagining. 

“It made me think that dinners like this should be a feature of community houses or neighbourhood centres regularly. Loneliness is so prevalent at all ages.”

 – Participant

What can you do with this?

The beauty of this idea is how easy it is to run with. Anyone can do it, anywhere!

Start where you are 

• Next time you’re thinking of hosting a dinner or get-together, think about how many generations you’re connected to – and make an effort to invite people from across life stages.
• Next time you find yourself at a table with two or more generations present, consider posing a conversation starter to the group. Perhaps it could be ‘what’s a misconception about your generation’, or even ‘what’s something about your generation that you’re proud of’? Maybe it’s ‘what are you discovering at this phase in your life’, or ‘what do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger’? Throw something out there, and see what flows!
• Not quite ready to initiate your own cross-generational gathering or conversation? Come to one that’s been set up for you! Gina is hosting two more Generations Over Dinner events in the coming months – and hopefully more to come thereafter. Check out our events page to see if there’s one coming up near you! Don’t see one? Drop us a line to register your interest.

Take it a step further

• If you’re inspired to host your own Generations Over Dinner event, wherever you are, head to the program website to download conversation prompts and guidance on how to run a great event. 
• If you’d like a bit more guidance and advice, or someone you can ask questions of, we’ll be sponsoring learning sessions with Gina so you can hear her experiences of running the dinners, and help you on your way to organising your own. Check out the events page to see if there’s one coming up soon – and if you don’t see one, but would like to join, let us know!