Raising children at a young age is not difficult, but the challenge comes when they are teenagers, says Child and Youth Worker Fatema Khatun Ether, ‘Generational bridging needs to be done by building friendships, trusting relationships.’
He said these things at the discussion meeting titled ‘Bridging Generations: Enhancing Relationships Between Young and Old’ organized by the Canadian Center for Information and Knowledge about Bangladeshi citizens living in Toronto, Canada.
A number of young people talk about their family life experiences in Alona.
Srijan’s internet usage was stopped after 10 pm by his guardian. Most of the decisions like how long to be online, what to do and not to do were the parent’s.
Dana’s story is different. Girl talk. Parents were monitoring who was receiving calls, who were friends, where they were going.
And Nabila was born and raised in Canada. Now doing masters in university. Although born in a Bengali family, he cannot speak Bengali well. Knowing and sharing many personal things with his parents is not possible due to language problems. He said, “I didn’t get the emotional support I needed.” Nabila’s mother, who was sitting next to her, was listening to the words silently.
It was held at the Red Hot Restaurant on Danforth Avenue in Toronto. 38 representatives of different classes and professions of the community were present in this event organized with the aim of strengthening the bond between the old and the young.
Nusrat Jahan, volunteer of the Canadian Center, presented an excellent discussion on the topic at the beginning of the program. He presented the generational differences in his presentation.
In the speech of the invited guest at the event organized by the Canadian Center, the editor-in-chief of Nawdesh newspaper, journalist Shawgat Ali Sagar said, “Many of our parents want to impose on their children what they have failed and failed in their careers. Many people cannot take this pressure.
He said, parents should give importance to the child’s choice. Parents should be friends with children.
Fatema Khatun Ether, a parent of two children and a child and youth worker, said that generational bridging should be built by building friendly behavior and trusting relationships.
According to development activist Reena Sen Gupta, respect for each other, mutual trust is crucial to the development of child-parent relationships.
The Canadian Center for Information and Knowledge has initiated a project. The main objective of this project called ‘Bridging Generation’ with the support of Pregnancy of Canada is to create meaningful relationships between the old and the young. The elders will share their life experiences with the youth. At the same time, the youth will share their insights with the elders.
Through which mutual knowledge, experience, family values and cultural heritage, exchange of attitudes between young and old can be facilitated. The Canadian Center believes this intergenerational connection will help develop family relationships and values.
