By 2050, the youth (ages 15-29) is projected to decline, old people +65 are set to rise. Museums have to reimagine themselves as Intergenerational Social Hubs: vibrant spaces where older and younger adults connect, engage, and learn from one another, developing mutual support.
Museums can design urban generation programs to create spaces for dialogue and cultural engagement, foster social inclusion and community cohesion, advance research and education, and promote health benefits (ICOM).
If museums were rethought as ISB for old and young adults (not only children), this would:
1. enhance social inclusion by addressing isolation and social exclusion among both younger and older people;
2. facilitate intergenerational knowledge transfers such as digital skills from younger to older people and mentorship from older to younger adults;
3. actively engage NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and retirees in meaningful roles.
This could offers scalable social impacts, such as:
1. Savings on healthcare costs;
2. Contributing to the development of NEETs skills and abilities to help them find a job or an interest in studies, thereby reducing the NEET rate;
3. Engaging retired people in active roles to reduce financial pressure.
4. Leveraging partnerships with NGOs and local associations already active on this purpose;
5. Partnerships with academic institutions and policymakers to evaluate and support the project as a case study that validates the proposal for EU policy.