• ISSA’s member ICDI, hosts the final TOY International Conference on intergenerational learning that will take place on the 28th October in Leiden
• Other three ISSA members, VBJK (Belgium), Comenius Foundation (Poland) and the Step by Step Centre for Quality Education (Slovenia), are engaged in this project launched in 2012

ICDI, one of ISSA’s members based in The Netherlands, is hosting the final conference of the TOY project, an international initiative aimed at bringing together young children, up to 9 years old, and older people, in a learning environment where they can meet, get to know each other, share experiences and have fun. Entitled “Senior citizens and young children building age-friendly communities”, the conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on the experiences and learning arising from the TOY project and will focus on the sustainability and new opportunities to promote intergenerational contact across Europe. Representatives from all partner countries, including three additional ISSA members from Belgium, Poland and Slovenia, will attend alongside guest practitioners, policy makers and community volunteers. Several workshops will take place to discuss issues such as: the role of local authorities in promoting intergenerational learning; the necessary skills the mediators need to have and the positive impact these relationships may have in the learning and wellbeing of both old and young people. The conference will be chaired by Elly Singer, senior researcher at Utrecht University. Anne-Sophie Parent, General Secretary of AGE Platform (Brussels) and Mafalda Leal from EuroChild are two of the key note speakers together with Elena Luppi from the Department of Education at Bologna’s University, who will talk about her work entitled ‘Intergenerational solidarity: learning and developing together’. Those interested in participating in this conference, can register here. ISSA is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s community today stretches across the globe with its more than 50 members primarily located in Europe and Central Asia. Building upon the Step by Step Program initiated by the Open Society Foundations in 1994, ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of the children’s development and learning. For more information on the TOY project, please visit its website http://www.toyproject.net/ or get in contact with ICDI’s communications officer, noeleen@icdi.nl.