Page 13 - Adelaide Journal of Social Work

Subjective Wellbeing/131
Why Not have some fun?
Age – friendly is not all work and no play. Hard work is to be rewarded with
occasional treats or the students will get fed up with the coursework and it will be
more of a mentally upsetting experiment than a mentally uplifting programme. So
a visit was arranged by the college on a holiday, 45 of the 49 students along with
48 teachers went on a small expedition starting from the college to Marine Drive,
Lulu Mall and Cherai Beach. The ride was filled with games and other entertainment
activities. Lulu Mall was a first for many and the escalator ride saw a mixture of
excitement and apprehension in their eyes. The teachers guided them through this
seemingly scary ride. At Cherai beach the child inside was unleashed as they made
sand castles and played in the water. For many it was a day reminiscent of their
time spent with own children and even grandchildren thereby creating a rapport
between the students and teachers. This was also their first interactive session and
hence the first opportunity for creating new friendships with their batch mates.
Matinee Time

A movie and some pop – corn is a great way to deepen existing relationships and
make some new ones. After all who doesn’t love a good movie? So after lot of
brainstorming an outing to the theatre was planned by the teachers and the idea
was well accepted. With a good attendance of 47 students the ride to the theatre
began. The dark atmosphere of the theatre created an atmosphere of excitement.
The teachers helped the ones having trouble in climbing stairs and walking for too
long with all their heart and this touched them. The few who had not yet come out
of their shells too came out and interacted with the others. It helped a lot in further
building group dynamics.
Renaissance

College is not just about just sitting in a classroom and studying, there is plenty
more to it than that and so the teachers decided to organise an Arts and Sports Fest
to get those rusting joints moving. The students were all excited and began
preparations for the cultural programs weeks before. For hours they practiced on
their dances and songs. This was another first for many of the students. As
Ambujakshi said, “To get on the stage and perform something or the other has
always been a dream of mine.” The morning half saw the sports and games session
in which there were a lot of games like tug of war, lemon race, musical chair etc.
After a sumptuous lunch the evening half witnessed the cultural prowess the youth
within the senior students. By the end of the day many a muscle that hasn’t been
moved in quite a while got some exercise. The day also showed them that the day
is never too old for them and they are never too old for having first times either.

Adelaide Journal of Social Work, 4:1 (2017) : 131-137