Dementia Support Line
Youth group teaching resources and activities
Engage your youth groups to learn more about dementia, take action and help create a dementia-friendly generation. No prior knowledge of dementia is required.
Why teach about dementia and create Dementia Friends?
Nearly one in three young people know someone living with dementia, often a grandparent but increasingly a parent. That's why we think it's important for every young person to understand what it's like to live with the condition.
We have already formed partnerships with a number of leading youth organisations who are helping to raise awareness of dementia with young people.
All of our resources for youth groups create Dementia Friends! Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative changing the way people think, act and talk about dementia. There are already millions of Dementia Friends in England and Wales – join us today!
How to use our resources
- Choose a resource from the options below, then complete our short webform for an instant download
- Run the activity or activities with your youth group
- Email us and let us know how many new Dementia Friends you have made so we can add you to our national total
- We will then send you badges and a poster, celebrating your achievement!
- Take further action! – have a look at our Get Involved page for ideas as to how your young people can take action in their communities.
Choose from our resources below for more information:
About our handbook
Recommended for: youth leaders, group sizes of up to 30 young people
Duration: 20-60 mins per activity
Age ranges: 5-18 year olds
Learning outcomes:
- Understand more about dementia
- Know the five key messages about dementia we think every Dementia Friend should know.
- Learn, plan and take action to support people living with dementia in the community.
Overview
The Taking Action on Dementia activity pack includes age-specific activities for young people aged 5-18 years old.
Your group can complete a variety of fun and creative activities to improve their understanding about dementia, roll out dementia-friendly projects, and become Dementia Friends.
'The Cubs enjoyed the sessions and the following week we visited a local care home where the children sang Christmas songs, shared gifts, and talked with some of the residents. I think watching the film and talking about dementia the week before helped make it an easier process for them.’
Download the Taking Action on Dementia handbook
Fill out our short webform for an instant download of our Taking Action on Dementia handbook.
About Memories with Grandma
Recommended for: teachers, youth leaders, group sizes of up to 30 young people
Duration: 60-90 minutes per lesson
Age ranges: 5-11 year olds
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the different ways that dementia can affect someone.
- Know the five key messages about dementia we think every Dementia Friend should know.
- Understand ways in which they can support someone living with or affected by dementia.
- Learn, plan and take action to support people living with or affected by the condition
Overview
Our fun and interactive animation and activity pack is perfect for 5-11 year olds. Use this animation and activity pack to create young Dementia Friends by teaching them about dementia and how they can support people and family members living with the condition.
‘The animation was very useful and child friendly.’
Download Memories with Grandma activity pack
Fill out our short webform for an instant download of our Memories with Grandma activity pack.
About Dementia Friends Information Sessions
Recommended for: teachers, youth leaders, any group size.
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Age ranges: 5+
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the different ways that dementia can affect someone
- Know the five key messages about dementia we think every Dementia Friend should know
- Learn, plan and take action to support people living with or affected by the condition.
Overview
If none of the other resources are quite right for you, you may want to request a Dementia Friends Information Session instead.
Dementia Friends Information Sessions are 45 to 60 mins, awareness-raising sessions about what it is like to live with dementia and how we can all contribute to make our communities more dementia-friendly.
Sessions are run by Dementia Friends Champion volunteers and can be adapted to suit anyone aged 5+. If you would like to become a Dementia Friends Champion yourself, you can sign up on the Dementia Friends website.
‘They were excited to use the resources and play new games and find out about people with Alzheimer’s and how they could help.’
Request a Dementia Friends Information Session
Fill out our short webform to request a Dementia Friends Information Session.
About resources for Scout groups
Alzheimer’s Society’s partnership with the Scouts A Million Hands programme ran from Summer 2015 and ended in June 2019, during which an incredible 23,000 Scout Dementia Friends were made.
As A Million Hands has new partners, Scout groups can now instead use Alzheimer’s Society resources to learn more about Dementia and become Dementia Friends.
Delivering activities about dementia
There are two ways Scout Leaders can raise awareness about dementia and encourage young people to take action in their communities by becoming a Dementia Friend.
- Option One - Request our Memories with Grandma resource
Our fun and interactive animation and activity pack is perfect for 5-11 year olds. Use this animation and activity pack to create young Dementia Friends by teaching them about dementia and how they can support people and family members living with the condition.
- Option Two - Request a Dementia Friends Information Session
Dementia Friends Information Sessions are 45 to 60 mins, awareness-raising sessions about what it is like to live with dementia and how we can all contribute to make our communities more dementia-friendly. Sessions are run by Dementia Friends Champion volunteers and are suitable for anyone aged 5+. If you would like to become a Dementia Friends Champion yourself, you can sign up on the Dementia Friends website.
If you have any questions, please email us for further information and support.
Request resources for Scouts
Fill out our short webform to request resources for your Scout group.
About our Girlguiding resources
Recommended for: Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Age ranges: 5-18 year olds
Learning outcomes
- Learn more about dementia
- Know the five key messages about dementia we think that every Dementia Friend should know
- Learn, plan and take action to help support somebody living with or affected by dementia in their local community.
Overview of resources
Alzheimer’s Society and Girlguiding are working together to enable and empower generations of young women to be dementia-friendly!
Alzheimer’s Society has produced activity packs for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers. If you lead a Girlguiding unit, you can download our bespoke activity packs via the link below. If you are a Girlguiding member, please ask your leader to visit this page and download the packs for your unit. Use these resources to teach your unit about dementia and create Dementia Friends.
Once you have used the resources, let us know via email how many Dementia Friends you made, and you can then request Dementia Friends pin badges and a poster for your unit.
What Girlguiding say about this resource:
‘Girlguiding has worked in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society to develop and create three fun unit meeting activities (for Rainbows, Brownies and Guides) which can be found in their Better Together topic.
The Girlguiding activities introduce dementia awareness, signposting units to become Dementia Friends via Alzheimer’s Society Youth Engagement pages and the activities in these resources. Dementia Friends is recognised as an impactful initiative. By becoming Dementia Friends, girls and leaders can explore how to take action in local communities, better supporting people living with or affected by dementia.’
- Gemma Benton – Head of Youth Programmes, Girlguiding
Adventures at home, from Girlguiding
Now, more than ever, people are looking to Girlguiding for fun, a chance to learn and to feel part of something. And we’re delighted to be able to help.
Girlguiding has created an online hub ‘Adventures At Home’ - a platform offering a range of activities to help girls, parents and carers find simple ways to create fun and adventure at home.
Adventures at home offers a variety of activities and blogs for all age groups, alongside even more exciting opportunities and activities being shared on social media, which you can find using the hashtag #AdventuresAtHome.
Alongside this, Girlguiding is releasing advice on how leaders can support girls through this period through virtual meetings and dealing with difficult circumstances. More resources will be added regularly, so get involved and have some Adventures At Home!
Download Girlguiding resources
Fill out our short webform for an instant download of our Girlguiding resources.
