Intergenerational mentoring : promoting the psychosocial wellbeing of older men and teenage boys through meaningful occupation

Background / Aims: Many teenage boys who are at risk of social dysfunction often have few, if any, positive male role models. Their future participation in society as healthy, active and productive members of society is uncertain. Nine teenage boys, aged between 14-16 years and at risk of exclusion at school, participated in a weekly shared construction project with older male mentors aged between 60-75 years at the local men’s shed over 1 school term. This research aimed to explore the older men’s perception of the project