Daegu Catholic University shares results of intergenerational arts community program

Daegu Catholic University announced Thursday that its Department of Arts Therapy has been running an intergenerational arts community program called "Cheongchun Baengnyeon Hamkke Sam, Arts Community" (Living Together a Hundred Years in Youth) as part of North Gyeongsang Province's ANCHOR project — a regional talent development initiative — and recently held a first-half results-sharing event.

The project has been carried out in partnership with the Gyeongsan Senior Welfare Center since late February, and was designed to ease emotional isolation among the elderly and expand intergenerational exchange in response to the challenges of a super-aged society.

Faculty in the arts therapy department developed six programs — including band, choir, calligraphy and brainwave-based counseling — and selected four of them, based on strong interest from welfare center users, to run over a three-month period.

At the closing performance of the "Baengnyeon Band" program, held June 15 at the welfare center's auditorium, elderly participants and young students took the stage together to perform "Young You" and "I Am a Butterfly," offering a showcase of intergenerational harmony. The event closed with participants and audience members joining in a chorus of "Bravo My Life."

Then, at a "Cheongchun Choir" performance held June 17 at Daegu Catholic University's Hyoeum Art Hall, about 30 elderly participants and four arts therapy undergraduate and graduate students performed ABBA's "Dancing Queen" together.

The finale featured a newly rewritten version of Frank Sinatra's "My Way," with lyrics recast to reflect the lives and memories of the elderly participants, drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Kim Su-a, head of the arts therapy department at Daegu Catholic University, said the showcase demonstrated how older and younger generations can understand and communicate with each other through art. "We will continue to develop programs that address the aging challenges facing our community and strengthen emotional bonds across generations, in connection with the North Gyeongsang Province ANCHOR project," Kim said.