After spending a third of his placement in France stuck in lockdown, modern languages student Elliot Bellman was worried that his conversation skills might suffer. But his weekly chats with Mme Tolu, a Parisian care home resident in her 80s, have helped keep his fluency up to scratch, reports The Guardian.
“During the pandemic it’s difficult to travel and have those normal experiences, going out and talking to new people,” said Bellman, 20, a third year student at the University of Warwick. “So this allows me to keep talking to someone in French. And Mme Tolu doesn’t have any family around her any more, so I feel like I am helping somewhat with the loneliness. It’s mutually beneficial.”
He is one of 107 students across the world who have been matched with a senior citizen in France as part of the ShareAmi scheme, which aims to combat the isolation felt by many older people during France’s strict lockdowns while helping language students unable to travel abroad to develop their skills.
“During confinements we saw this increasing isolation amongst the elderly in France, plus the fact that students couldn’t do exchanges or internships.” said Juliette Neyran, one of the organisers of the scheme, run by the charity Oldyssey. “The whole idea behind it is to develop a two-way solidarity where the elderly person is less isolated, but at the same time they’re contributing as well.
“It’s not like there is one helper and one person who’s helped, it works both ways, and I think that is what really helps to build the relationships.”
The scheme was first trialled with five language students from the University of Warwick and has now expanded to students around the globe, with more than 6,800 signed up so far. The small team has struggled to keep up with demand, but is looking to expand with more pairings over the coming months.
Neyran said she also hoped the scheme will help to build intergenerational relationships at a time when younger and older people are being kept apart due to the pandemic. “I was definitely nervous starting out, because I don’t really have too much experience talking with older people,” said Bellman. “But she is really easy to talk to and she’s great at keeping the conversation going.”