A community-led program that forges meaningful connections between young high school students and older adults living in retirement communities has arrived in the Northern Rivers.
Delivered by RSL LifeCare and funded by Healthy North Coast through the Australian Government’s Primary Health Network program, the ‘Stronger Together’ initiative offers a range of free weekly activities that bring students from Byron Bay High School and Emmanuel Anglican College together with residents from Bayside @ Byron Retirement Village and Kokoda Village Ballina.
Early outcomes include seniors reporting reduced loneliness and renewed purpose, young people demonstrating higher empathy, confidence and school engagement, and both generations developing meaningful friendships that strengthen community bonds.
The program runs from 20 May 2026 through to 23 June 2026 and will include weekly activities like digital skills sharing sessions, creative workshops, mini Olympics and storytelling sessions. Approximately 20 people – a mix of old and young – will participate in each session.
Healthy North Coast CEO Monika Wheeler said:
“Community-led programs like Stronger Together create valuable opportunities for the older and younger generations to connect, learn from one another and build meaningful relationships.
“The role they play in supporting wellbeing and resilience across our region, as well as reducing loneliness is well established”.
“Our region has felt the impacts of significant weather events in recent years, and programs like these build important bonds that allow our communities to flourish.”
General Manager of Residential Living at RSL LifeCare, Michael Wappett, said:
“Programs like Stronger Together show what innovation in residential living really means, not just new models of care, but fresh ways to bring people together, spark joy and create communities where veterans and seniors feel seen, valued and energised.
“Aged care reform is an opportunity to raise the bar, and we’re leaning into that with optimism. Our focus is on creating experiences that are more human, more responsive and more enriching for the people who call our communities home.
“There’s something powerful about seeing generations come together with this much warmth and energy. It’s fun, it’s uplifting, and it sends a clear message: when we invest in belonging, everybody wins.”
Following completion in Byron Bay and Ballina, Stronger Together will also expand to Lismore later in the year. Up to 160 people will participate in the program.
Funded at a value of $147,000 through Healthy North Coast’s wider Community Wellbeing and Resilience (CWR) program, Stronger Together aligns with the CWR program’s goals of supporting communities to recover from the health and wellbeing impacts of climate disasters and to help build capacity to face future compounding challenges.
Picture above: Stronger Together at Byron Bay.
