“Somehow we have to get older people back close to growing children if we are to restore a sense of community, knowledge of the past, and a sense of the future.” Margaret Mead, Cultural Anthropologist
The Seniors & Teens Empathy Program 
Anthony Dennehy, Head of International Grammar Senior School, reflecting on the high school journey with STEP since 2019. Over 60 of their Year 10 students have made everlasting memories taking part in the STEP journey.
SUPPORTED BY: Awesome Foundation Sydney, Layne Beachley Foundation, SEFA/ Macquarie Foundation Kickstarter, Randwick Council, Sutherland Shire Council
FINALIST: AMP Tomorrow Fund, Westfield Local Hero
2021 OPAL HEALTHCARE SOCIAL IMPACT REPORT (P17-18)
Sutherland Shire Council, Randwick City Council
Video thanks to students from UTS Community Shopfront.
CURRENT & PAST COLLABORATIONS & PARTNERS:
The Seniors & Teens Empathy program’s aims include fostering empathy, regaining a sense of community, increasing resilience and well-being, and helping encourage inspired & soulful lives across generations. Listen to Founder Samantha Heron talk to Sarah Macdonald on ABC Evenings about intergenerational connection, sharing of stories, Rites of Passage and more.
STEP ( Senior and Teens Empathy Program ™ ) has been running as a virtual & face-to-face program with International Grammar School partnered with Opal Healthcare since 2019. Read about the program in Opal’s 2021 OPAL HEALTHCARE SOCIAL IMPACT REPORT (P17-18)
Heart & Soul Story, supported by Sutherland Shire Council, also ran an adapted in-person program at the start of 2023 with students from Sylvania High School and people living with dementia at Hammond Aged Care Miranda. (Photography/ Videography thanks to In-The-Loupe)
Intergenerational connection & program implementation seminars
Heart and Soul Story delivers school and aged care education seminars and programs about the importance of Intergenerational Connection and Bringing our Community Back Together, and the reciprocal benefits for both our elders and teens. These can be delivered both in person or via Zoom.
We are proud to be running a workshop at the upcoming Positive Schools Conference in Sydney in October 2023.
Founder Samantha Heron also works with government, schools and aged care organisations on education around best practice considerations, the complexities, challenges and opportunities in program implementation, and factors to consider when designing their own intergenerational programs and initiatives. She has been an advisor for the recently formed Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice ( AIIP) and developed content for their latest Professional Development Joy 2 The Art of Facilitation
“Samantha Heron is one of the rising stars of the social entrepreneur movement. Her social enterprise Heart & Soul Story has already broken new ground with the highly original STEP (Seniors and Teens Empathy Program), weaving together new strands of the social fabric by putting older and younger members of the community in touch with each other. Unlike many people with good intentions, Sam is tackling the challenge of social fragmentation on the ground, with practical strategies for rebuilding local neighbourhoods and communities.”
Hugh Mackay AO, Social Researcher, Psychologist, Best Selling Author, Founder IPSOS Mackay Report, delivered the Australia Day Address on 23 January 2019.
The Seniors & Teens Empathy Program™ is included in Hugh’s latest book ‘The Kindness Revolution’
To read about the program with Opal and International Grammar please click here or listen to the perspective of a student and teacher below
To read about the program that Heart & Soul Story ran for three years with Youth off the Streets click here
Listen to the Radio interview with 2 SER The Wire about Heart and Soul Story winning the pitch for the 2018 Birthday Mega Grant from the Awesome Foundation Sydney for the Senior and Teens Empathy Program™ that ran with students from Youth off the Streets for almost 3 years.
http://thewire.org.au/story/awesome-foundation-mega-grant/
STEP …. part of our sustainable future
Heart and Soul Story’s Senior & Teens Empathy Program™ and educational seminars on the benefits of intergenerational connection are working towards impacting UN Sustainable Development Goal 3
The wisdom, experience, energy and ideals of the old and the young are vital to realising the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “Ageing populations must work with younger populations to foster successful and reciprocal intergenerational relations and partnerships, which will lie at the core of every well-integrated society.”
STEP…. in action
“A modern day rite of passage is achieved when the community create experiences for youth which are perceived to be transformative and, in fact, offer them increased status within the community and facilitate their healthy transition through adolescence” (Blumenkrantz, 1996)
The Seniors & Teens Empathy Program ™ (STEP) was designed using a Rites of Passage framework – you can learn more about this here
https://heartandsoulstory.com/…/recognising-the-critical-i…/
“Who of us in our digitalized and remote lives has not wondered about our disappearing sense of connectedness — face to face, person to person and within a tribe? The more we find ourselves hitting “send,” “reply,” and “post,” the less connected we often feel and become … there is a growing longing to return to a sense of real community ” ( http://www.ritesofpassagevisionquest.org/need-community-rites-passage/)
If you are interested to learn more about a Virtual or face to face program for your school or aged care, please please follow along on instagram @heartandsoulstory_sam or https://www.facebook.com/heartandsoulstory/
Watch Teen participants Immy and Amy talk about their experience during STEP
“The impact of the STEP program has been extremely positive and eye opening here for our residents at Annandale Grove. The beauty of intergenerational activities and communication is something that both our residents and the students greatly benefit from. As a lifestyle coordinator and working with Sam in the past 4 months I have definitely seen the amount that our residents learn from the students. As we live in a world of different cultures and advances in technology it is evident that there is no age limit to learning new things. I know that our residents have definitely learnt new things and have been intrigued by the different cultures and interests that the students share with our residents. I have no doubt that the students have seen and learnt beneficial information also and have met some extraordinary residents whilst being on the STEP journey.
Thank you Sam for bringing this fantastic program to our home and we can’t wait to continue it with you, despite the COVID restrictions we will always find a way”
Princess Montesclaros, Lifestyle Coordinator, Opal Healthcare
Samantha was one of 70 finalists in the 2018 AMP Tomorrow Fund, succeeding to the last stage of the assessment process. The fact that Samantha made it this far in a very competitive field of 1,900 applicants speaks volumes of her commitment and talent.
The AMP Foundation wishes her the very best of luck with Heart & Soul Story.”
Emma Turnbull | Senior Manager | AMP Foundation
“Over the last two years I have been witness to Sam developing Heart and Soul Story, I have seen that she acts with courage over comfort, and has the determination that I believe will see her stop at nothing to collaborate with other organsations until she progresses her pilot into a successful program of significant impact for our community. We look forward to collaborating again in 2019 and beyond.”
Ruth Toffler Riesel | Founder | Kids Giving Back
We are currently facing mental health epidemics at opposite ends of life; an epidemic of increasing loneliness and depression in our older people in aged care homes and an increasing epidemic of mental health issues in our youth. Fostering intergenerational empathy and connection has been shown to improve the mental health and well-being of both groups.
Heart and Soul Story has been designing & facilitating intergenerational connection programs & initiatives since 2017. Specifically, Seniors & Teens Empathy Program ( Co Winner AIIP 2024 Young Person Program of the Year) connects high school students with their Elders through the cathartic journey of SHARING THEIR STORIES, promoting better mental health and well-being in both groups.