Create a magical relationship between the generations through a shared story…

Silver Readers (children) read to a Silver Listener (older member of the community) over the phone once a week

Schools can decide, in consultation with Silver Listener, which is the best day and time of day for these calls to take place.

Roles within the scheme:

Silver Stories

Title of the project

Listener

Silver Listener

The older member of the community

Reader

Silver Reader

The child reading

Children of any age can take part in Silver Stories; the age range is currently 3- 14 years. The process is described very briefly below. If you are interested in becoming a Silver Stories School, please contact us to find out more. It is such a simple scheme that has the most wonderful, positive outcomes for both Listener and Reader.

THE PROCESS EXPLAINED

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  • The children can read short stories, a chapter from a longer book or a poem.
  • What is read can be a joint decision between the member of school staff and the child, it is important children feel enthusiastic about the pieces they read.
  • It is worth considering choosing books which do not rely upon pictures to make sense of the story, or if they do, encouraging the child to describe the pictures to the Silver Listener.
  • Telephone calls can start and end with a short conversation between the child, the member of school staff and the Silver Listener.
  • It is helpful for the member of the school staff to record any comments made by the Silver Listeners and Readers and share these with the Charity.
  • Please contact the charity via our contact page to start the conversation.
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Please note that it is important that no personal information is shared by either party such as home address and bank details

Data collection and protection

Silver Stories is a simple but effective way of using the telephone to create intergenerational contact, connecting Silver Readers (children who are undertaking the reading) with Silver Listeners (older people who would welcome this contact).   All telephone conversations will be witnessed by a teacher or parent.

By taking part as a Silver Listener you are giving consent for your name and contact telephone number to be shared either with a school or with a parent of a Silver Reader. These details will be kept in a secure Silver Stories database which is only accessed by members of the Silver Stories team. If you decide to stop taking part in Silver Stories and you contact us to inform us of this decision, we will then remove your contact details from the database.

By taking part as the parent/carer of a Silver Reader you are giving consent for your name and your child’s name to be shared with a Silver Listener. These details will be kept in a secure Silver Stories database which is only accessed by members of the Silver Stories team. If reading as part of school participation, the charity will not record your child’s details. If you decide to stop taking part in Silver Stories and you contact us to inform us of this decision, we will then remove your contact details from the database.

There will be an exchange of information such as name and telephone number of a Silver Listener between Silver Stories  and a participating school.

The parent/ responsible adult/school is asked to make an initial contact with the Silver Listener to arrange a regular time and day for the Silver Reader to read a story or poem.

“Not only does this project have a positive impact on our Silver Listeners but also there has been notable progress on the children’s confidence when reading aloud. Over time they have developed increasing fluency and the ability to capture the interest of the Listener by using expression in their voice.”

“The children are always so eager to share a story or poem with the elderly members of our community.”

“Silver Stories is most definitely one of the highlights of my week.”

“It is a delight to hear the positive comments from our Silver Listeners after they have been read to. Comments such as ‘ Thank you. You have really made my day.’”

“I hope this project exists in years to come when I know I would gladly welcome a call and a story to make me smile!”

“That story has made me smile, thank you for sharing it with me. I always look forward to my phone call on a Tuesday”

“…enable the children to realise that they are making a difference to the lives of the elderly members of our community.”

“The children leave the room with a beaming smile, full of pride, as they head back to their classroom.”

Get involved!

We'd love more schools to enrol in the Silver Stories scheme. To take part or learn more please get in touch...
Contact us