Meet Tomesha Thompson - Generations United Summer Intern

Tomesha Thompson with her grandfather

The past three years I worked as a Camp Counselor and Supervisor at the YMCA, I saw firsthand how intergenerational work brought the generations together.

I saw it through the Zumba classes the elders facilitated for the youth. Watching young and old together sparked my initial interest.

I couldn’t pass up a chance to be a summer intern with Generations United.

All the way from Richmond, Virginia, I’m a student at George Mason University, where I’m studying Community Health with a concentration in Nutrition.

This summer, I’m helping Generations United expand and showcase their Youth Jumpstart Grantees’ work. I’ll also be using social media to get our partners and friends interested in our initiatives like Grandparents Day in September.

I also look forward to highlighting your cool intergenerational ideas on this blog.

I am so excited to be interning with Generations United! I love the idea of youth and older adults working together to "break the silos" and learn from each other.

This is also personal for me.

My grandmother, who prefers fresh foods and cooks everything from scratch, gave me a better appreciation and understanding of food and wellness, which is why I’m studying Nutrition.

In turn, I show her how to search for recipes online as an option to her worn cookbooks with pages falling from the binding.

Moments like these reinforce our emotional support for each other. Generations United says it best, "Because we are stronger together".