July Advocate of Distinction - Seniors4Kids

Adrian Charniak with her grandson, Joey, 16. Adrian became
the legal guardian of her grandson, Joe, prior to her son's death
six years ago. She later sought help from the Center for Law
and Social Work, which provides legal and social services.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Advocate of Distinction is a feature in our Seniors4Kids Monthly e-Alerts, honoring a #FearlessElder advocating on behalf of children and families. You can see past Advocates of Distinction by visiting our e-Alerts archive. 

Our July Advocate of Distinction, Adrian Mary Charniak, partnered with the Vision and Mission of Trinity Community Church, UCC in Berwyn, Illinois to create a new ministry - Gift of Hope, Grandparents and Others Raising America’s Children.

Since creation in 2009, Gift of Hope has been active on state (see: Adrian's Help List for Illinois grandparents and other elders raising children) and national levels fighting for the rights of grandparents raising grandchildren.

Gift of Hope also provides emotional, physical, and spiritual support needed to face the overwhelming demands of raising grandchildren while striving to break the isolation older adults experience the second time around with raising grandchildren.

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin April 2015 edition featured Adrian and her grandson, Joe, in a story known too well by many grandparents and other relatives – legal, financial, emotional challenges at extreme levels – who must step up.

Adrian and her husband, Ron, won the battle for their grandson, Joey, and enlarged their mission to help others.

Adrian’s service extends beyond Gift of Hope to the National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s Rights as a Board Member for the State of Illinois; the Illinois Taskforce for Grandparent’s Rights; the Grandparents Empowerment Group at Rush Hospital, Oak Park, Illinois and Rush Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois as Support Group Leader; the Help Desk with the Cook County Guardianship Assistance Desk For Minors in the State of Illinois.

Adrian has received many awards and accolades including the top volunteer service award from President Barack Obama.

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Generations of Us: An Intergenerational Storytelling Project

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we’ll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United’s endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part 21 of our series, we feature Generations of Us, an intergenerational storytelling project in Chicago, IL.

(Check our archives for parts 1-20.)

Generations of Us: An Intergenerational Storytelling Project on Chicago’s South Side connected young and older adults living on Chicago’s South Side to share their personal experiences through oral history interviews.

The project aimed to use the power of storytelling to promote intergenerational reconciliation and learning between young and older adults living in communities impacted by poverty, violence, and the criminal justice system.  

The project rested on the idea that intergenerational dialogue will promote peace by creating understanding and stronger networks within the community.

Through a partnership with the South Side Help Center in Chicago's Roseland community and the Atlas Senior Center in the South Chicago neighborhood, the young and older adults participated in interactive workshops focusing on the power of storytelling to hear firsthand accounts of history, share life experiences and perspectives, combat ageism, build relationships, and promote intergenerational dialogue.

The project took place during the month of August 2014 and included 8 workshops. It began with a one-day workshop that introduced oral history and including an interactive aging simulation with the young people at the South Side Help Center.

The remaining workshops took place at the Atlas Senior Center, which allowed the young adults to visit the Senior Center each day.

The curriculum followed the 6-step process of Oral History: plan, prepare, exchange, preserve, present, and reflect.

To ensure that the participants would be able to interact as much as possible, workshops incorporated intergenerational activities, icebreakers, games, practice interviews, and lessons on the process of oral history each day.

On average, 25 participants attended each day, and we typically had a ratio of one older adult to two young adults. In total,  approximately 50 participants attended and recorded 10 full-length oral history interviews.

The last day of the workshop was a presentation and celebration that was open to the public, which included playing short selections from the interviews, participants sharing their personal reflections, playing BINGO, and eating delicious food!

Each participant received a t-shirt and a CD with their audio recording and approximately 50 people were in attendance for the celebration! Due to the success of this project, future collaborations between the South Side Help Center and the Atlas Senior Center are in the process of being discussed.

For more information about this project, please take a look at the Generations of Us blog and/or contact Kelli Bosak directly at kbosak@uchicago.edu.

Kelli Bosak is a graduate student at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.  

This project was made possibly by a grant from the Kathryn W. Davis Projects for Peace through the International House of Chicago.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas? You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group or just text us through the Facebook Messenger app (friend me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

Skokie School District 73.5's Grandfriends Intergenerational Volunteer Program

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we’ll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United’s endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part 20 of our series, we feature Skokie School District 73.5’s Grandfriends Intergenerational Volunteer Program in Skokie, IL.

(Check our archives for parts 1-19.)

The Grandfriends Intergenerational Volunteer Program is one of the longest, continuously operating, school-based intergenerational programs in Illinois.

The program, which started in 1991, matches local older adult volunteers with kindergarten-fifth grade classrooms. Volunteers, in collaboration with the classroom teachers, work with students in areas of reading, writing and math.

Frequently Grandfriends share their own life experiences, which brings history to life.

Additionally, volunteers have helped in the school office, the library and with the art and music teachers.

The Skokie School District 73.5 is a culturally-diverse community and their Grandfriends help students as they learn to communicate in English. Enduring relationships have developed between teachers, school staff and our wonderful volunteers.

The volunteers love watching the children grow throughout the school year.

Their Grandfriends often serve as "ambassadors at large," sharing the insights they have gained by being in the school throughout the wider community.

Parents, students and school staff have all come to recognize and value the incredible resource their Grandfriends have become.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas? You can also post them to ourIntergenerational Connections Facebook Group or just text us through the FacebookMessenger app (friend me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.