Happily Ever After: Ageing Without Limits

By: The Team at Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation*

Your age is just a number, and your dreams have no age limit. Whether you’re passionate about drawing, dancing or skydiving, it’s never too late to strive for your dreams – especially if you’re living in Hong Kong – the city that has overtaken Japan with the longest life expectancy in the world.

As life expectancy increases, the way we define ageing also changes. By 2036, the number of people in Hong Kong aged 65 and above is estimated to increase by 29%. Hong Kongers are expected to have an average life expectancy of at least 81 years. As the mandatory retirement age in Hong Kong 65 years old, this gives most senior citizens at least 20 years of free time ahead of them!

Twenty years of free time may seem like a luxury for young people. Yet, over time, retirees can feel bored, lose their confidence and sense of purpose, and feel disconnected with society. The disconnection will eventually leave a gap between generations. People from different generations will also struggle to find common ground due to differences in culture, values and beliefs. But whatever our age, we all share the same human experience and emotions.

In 2018, Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF) launched a new series of programmes as part of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: stART Up Community Arts Project. The programmes aimed to bridge the generation gap by bringing together young and senior participants together to create art.

The project held twelve visual and performing arts programmes to promote age inclusion and positive ageing. All participants were encouraged to interact and communicate with each other throughout the creative process. Before the programmes started, many young participants thought that most seniors were just old and stubborn. Gradually, as the project went on, their perception changed. Instead of doing things “for” the senior participants, the young participants were encouraged to do things “with” them. Many completed artworks also captured inspirational life stories shared by the seniors.

Young at Heart was a series of sophisticated photos that featured five senior models. The project was designed to push aside negative stereotypes of ageing and portray the older adults as they were – strong, skilled, experienced and an important part of society. The young participants were led by a professional creative director, and worked closely with the models to create unique hair and makeup looks and set design inspired by the models' stories and personalities.

One of the young participants confessed that “Most of us used to think that old people were the same – angry, slow and unwilling to change. But after taking part in this project, I discovered they’re optimistic and open to having fun with us.”

The senior models were “scouted” by HKYAF’s staff in their local communities. This was the first time that any of the seniors had modelled or step foot in a professional photography studio. Among them, Patrick Chan, aged 79 at the time, was the oldest.

Patrick was a former civil servant and power station worker. His optimism inspired the young participants to create a fun and adventurous look for him. Patrick’s portrait showed him bursting out of a newspaper page with confidence, holding a magnifying glass to represent his naturally curious spirit. The “article” on the newspaper was adapted from a short story that the young participants wrote about Patrick’s life story. A cancer survivor and a passionate musician who continues to perform today, being old was never a problem for him – “Age is just a number. If you’re young at heart, you don’t feel old.”

Candy Chan, another senior participant, took part in Live Love Learn, a dance film that featured a group of retirees with little dance experience performing alongside HKYAF’s youth performers. The group worked closely with a professional dance artist and learned to express themselves through movement. They also learned to perform The NELKEN Line, a famous dance sequence choreographed by the German choreographer Pina Bausch. Ahead of the project, Chan thought that age was a limitation. By the end of it, she realised that “…dance has no age limits. It turns out that it is good to move my body.”

The 2018 edition of the stART Up Community Arts Project is one of the few projects in Hong Kong that helps the city enrich its elderly lifestyle through the arts. By involving youth participation, many seniors rediscovered the joy of being creative and active and a part of their community. The youngsters were more empathetic towards seniors and learnt to communicate and work with people of different ages harmoniously. What’s more, learning about ageing positively and creatively, has shown them how to support and stay connected with their grandparents and other senior members in their families.

Ageing doesn't have to be a sad process while living in a city with the longest life expectancy in the world. As we age, we gain a more valuable life experience that enables us to give back to our community. Anyone can live a happy, fruitful and meaningful life until the end.

*Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF)

HKYAF is a charity that provides access to high quality, non-competitive free-of-charge arts experiences for all young people aged 5 to 25.

Established in 1993 by Lindsey McAlister OBE, JP, HKYAF organises inclusive and inspirational projects that reach out to youngsters of all cultures, backgrounds, languages and abilities, and actively creates opportunities for those who are disadvantaged and underprivileged.