OEA-Retired Intergenerational Mentoring Program

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is the Ohio Education Association-Retired Intergenerational Program that engages retired educators as mentors to children and training teachers.

(Check our archives for parts 1-90 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)

The Intergenerational Mentoring Program is a collaborative project between the Ohio Education
Association-Retired (OEA-R) and the Ohio Student Education Association (OSEA) with the full support and cooperation of the Ohio Education Association (OEA), the National Education Association (NEA), and NEA-Retired.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Six Winners

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is Six Winners, a social empowerment component of the NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. The program pairs older adult mentors with African American and Latino males ages 13 to 24.

(Check our archives for parts 1-89 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)

Trained mentors teach young men specific skills to help them develop personal goals and enhance their self-sufficiency by working with them on strategies to achieve those goals. The program includes counseling, social skills development, preparation for the workplace, and understanding of fatherhood responsibilities.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

MentorCHIP

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.
This week's cool idea is MentorCHIP in New York, which offers site-based mentoring to children and youth through older adult volunteers at partnering organizations.

(Check our archives for parts 1-89 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)

Through an academic and asset-building focus, mentors help build the confidence and resilience of children ages 6–16 whose parents are incarcerated. The program’s goal is to significantly improve the cognitive, social, and lifelong learning of children who are affected by incarceration.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

The Commons Methodist Home

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is The Commons Methodist Home in Oklahoma, which connects The Commons residents with children and youth through reading activities, music and student celebrations.

(Check our archives for parts 1-88 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6 and 7)

The Commons United Methodist Health Care Center is part of an educational program for 4-year-olds, an Intergenerational Approach to Learning, which benefits both children and The Commons residents alike.

The program's youth along with the Commons' "grandmas and grandpas" provides a unique atmosphere for learning, caring and cooperation.

The Commons 4-year-old program is a collaborative effort between the United Methodist Health Care Center, Enid Public Schools and CDSA/Smart Start Northwest Oklahoma. 

The project is fully funded by Enid Public Schools and an Innovative Project Grant through Smart Start Oklahoma from the Inasmuch Foundation. The grant provides a professional teacher and assistant through Enid Public Schools.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Stoughton Community Garden

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is the Stoughton Community Garden in Massachusetts, started by the Stoughton Youth Commission.

(Check our archives for parts 1-86 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6 and 7)

There are currently 10 garden plots tended by 10 groups of garden partners (made up of youth, seniors, and family members working together).

The idea blossomed when the town decided to place the Stoughton Youth Commission under the same roof at the Stoughton Council on Aging.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Five & Fit

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is the Five & Fit program in California, which is based on a model from Temple University, older adults (age 55+) guide young pre-schoolers (ages 2 - 5) and their families toward improved nutrition and enhanced physical activity.

(Check our archives for parts 1-85 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6and 7)

Activities include gardening, tasting fruits and vegetables, and fun nutritional education. 

The mission of the program is to prevent childhood obesity and to promote healthy, active, life-long behaviors. 

The program is a collaboration between Aging & Independence Services (the County of San Diego's Area Agency on Aging) and the Cuyamaca College Child Development Center.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Legacy Book Projects

Click the image to expand.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

Legacy Books is an intergenerational project that brings Baltimore's young and old together to produce e-books. The older adults share their stories that student capture and put online.

"We find that the combination of youth with tech knowledge and elders with stories is a match made in heaven," said Beatrice Odom Scott, founder of the Legacy Books project and a digital publishing consultant. "We have a number of Legacy Book projects in Baltimore including the ZHAP program at the Zeta Center and at local schools."

Young and old working together to capture and share stories has been good for restoring dignity and self-value for many families, especially those from disadvantaged communities.

But Annette Saunders, of Baltimore Grandfamilies PTSA, noted that the project offers something else.

"The books have become family treasures," she explained. "Two of the grandparents [who participated] have died, and both families expressed how glad they are to have the story books."

Annette also cherishes her own.

"My husband and I made one for our first grandson," she explained, adding that the first grader enjoys reading their story from cover to cover.

Annette hopes to get funding for another group of grandfamilies - those from Sandtown, Park Heights and Poplar Grove - what she calls three of the cities "really challenging communities."

Annette sings the Legacy Book project's praises wherever she goes. Of her experience, she added: "It is so rewarding!"

Contact Beatrice O. Scott for more info on Legacy Books.

Camp Pickett

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

Pickett Care and Rehabilitation Center

This week's cool idea is Camp Pickett, a program of the Pickett Care and Rehabilitation Center in Byrdstown, TN. Through learning circles and other team activities, this summer camp nurtures relationships between children who attend the camp and Pickett Care's elder residents.

(Check our archives for parts 1-83 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6 and 7)

Serving as an alternative child care service to help offset expenses for Pickett Care's employees, Camp Pickett started in 2008 to help enhance quality of life for the elders in the home.

The program was featured in McKnight's Long-term Care News article, "Driving out loneliness through intergenerational relationships," from which this excerpt was pulled.

As the summer progressed, something magical happened: elders and children taught each other great things.

Elders passed down their wisdom in gardening, farming, and other things on to the children, while the children were able to teach the Elders how to use the Nintendo Wii and text on a cell phone.

Camp Pickett morphed into a community all its own. In the first summer alone, elders, who were previously depressed and refused to come out of their room, were living a new lifestyle of purpose and enhanced well-being overall.

Staff members saved over $18,000 in childcare expenses, and the home logged the equivalent of over $5,000 in volunteer hours. Not only was Camp Pickett a success, it was a new standard for intergenerational relationships for the entire company.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Mind the Gap

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is Mind the Gap: Intergenerational Theatre Workshop, which helps foster meaningful dialogue among artists and audiences of diverse backgrounds and generations.

(Check our archives for parts 1-82 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6 and 7)

Mind the Gap is a free workshop in which half of the participants are elders ages 60 and up and half are teenagers ages 14-19. Workshops are held twice per season at the New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) as well as in residence at multiple community partner locations around New York City.

Over the course of 10 sessions, participants work in pairs to interview each other and write plays inspired by their partner’s personal stories. Each workshop culminates with an invited presentation in which participants’ work is read aloud by professional actors.

NYTW holds sessions of Mind the Gap in the Summer (July-August) and Fall (October-December).

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Bridges Program Curricula Suite

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bridges Together

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is the Bridges Program Curricula Suite - a set of four ready-made intergenerational programs - to help communities unite older adults and children through shared experiences and cooperative learning.

(Check our archives for parts 1-82 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5 and 6)

Over the past 25 years, nearly 15,000 members of bookend generations have been impacted by the Bridges program. The award-winning, evidence-based Bridges Program Curricula Suite unites older adults and children in their communities for shared experiences and cooperative learning.

Adults (generally aged 60+) volunteer in a classroom, library or community center once a week for several weeks. Under the guidance of the teacher or trained staff, the volunteers work in pairs to facilitate small groups of students for meaningful discussion and fun activities.

The Bridges Program Curricula Suite – a set of four ready-made intergenerational programs for communities who want a proven and complete curriculum— are based on human development theories.

Bridges: Our Stories, for preschoolers, uses picture books as the theme; Bridges: Growing Together, for elementary-aged youth, allows participants to explore family histories and cultural touchstones; Bridges: Our Smarts, for middle schoolers, explores the multiple intelligences theory using nature as the theme for each session; and Bridges: Lifelong Journeys, for high schoolers, lets participants delve into topics including recognizing one’s culture, understanding the lifespan, managing finances and using technology responsibly.  

To see a video showing the Bridges program in action as well as information on two webinars designed for people interested in bringing Bridges to their communities, click here.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Kairos Alive!

Kairos Alive!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.


This week's cool idea, Minneapolis-based Kairos Alive!, works to promote engagement, health maintenance and prevention, and connections to community for older generations.

(Check our archives for parts 1-81 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5 and 6)

Kairos Alive!

Under Kairos Alive! is the Kairos Alive! Performance Troupe.

This troupe is an intergenerational group that uses dance and storytelling to create a sense of community and well-being in participants of all ages and walks of life.

Kairos Alive! Performance Group members span generations, ranging in age from 4 to 100. The Performance Troupe presents 10-12 performances annually featuring works from their past shows, and pieces created in collaboration with partners.

The goal of the Kairos Alive! Troupe is to bring dance into the community in order to connect with audiences in traditional and non-traditional venues.

Kairos Alive!

Their work draws upon many forms of modern dance, movement improvisation, folk dance, music, song, theater, poetry and oral history traditions from around the world. Kairos Alive! Performance Troupe is the only intergenerational modern dance theater company in Minnesota, and one of only a handful in the U.S.

This program is inspiring because their intergenerational, intercultural performances – which are performed at schools, nursing homes, museums, parks, community centers and formal performance spaces – deliver a vision of what community can be: all ages, all backgrounds, all abilities — dancing together.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

linkAges

(Credit: PAMF Innovation Center) A linkAges member assists an elder 

with a computer for a linkAges Tech Day at Stevenson House, an 

affordable housing community, in Palo Alto.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea, linkAges is an online network that connects people of all ages and empowers individuals to improve each other's health by providing opportunities for meaningful connections.

(Check our archives for parts 1-81 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4, 5 and 6)

The program, featured in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, helps connect people of all ages through an exchange system that relies on abilities and interests.

The Sentinel article shows that through the story of Lynda Hyndman, an Australian-born Canadian who moved to Silicon Valley to join her husband, an engineer for a satellite company.

She joined the linkAges network after seeing a flyer at the local library. In exchange for offering to wash windows, the 59-year-old connected with people of all ages who gave her rides to the airport, her aerobics sessions and Spanish classes.

Read the full story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Visit linkAges’ site to learn more.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!

Senior Adults and Students Come Together to Create a Memorable Exhibit - Seniors & Their Stories

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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. 

This week’s article is submitted by LeadingAge.

This week's cool idea: residents of Trinity Senior Living Community (TSLC), a LeadingAge member, and The Institute of Music & Dance (IMD) -- through the Kresge Onstage! Program -- developed and conducted the “Seniors & Their Stories” workshop and exhibit.

This multifaceted project brought together senior adults living in the McGivney Bethune Apartments on the campus of Marygrove College, Marygrove College undergraduates in the Arts and Civic Engagement course, and renowned Detroit photographer, Barbara Barefield.

“Twenty three students enjoyed listening to and recording the personal stories of 7 TSLC seniors, living in northwest Detroit,” said Judith Molina, Director of IMD. “They developed, through word, dance, song, and visual art, a creative expression of the individuals they came to know more personally.”

The photo exhibit, Senior & Their Stories, was on display at the Beyond Words Gallery at Marygrove College library in Detroit, Michigan last March. All involved were thrilled and proud of the results.

For the students, they got an opportunity to interact with and learn about seniors’ rich history, while making art and getting course credit.

For the seniors, it was a wonderful chance to share their stories with young adults and see their lives expressed in beautiful and meaningful art.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Share the inspiration. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! 

The East County Intergenerational Garden

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea, the East County Intergenerational Garden at Cuyamaca College in California, is an intergenerational gardening program where older adults teach preschoolers how food is grown and develops an appreciation for enjoying healthy eating.

(Check our archives for parts 1-80 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3,4 and 5)

For a few hours each week, seven gardening enthusiasts, ages 60 and older, share a little of their know-how with 60 preschoolers tending a small, practice garden of sorts as they await the installation of a much larger one that the college is calling its Intergenerational Garden.

The children, ages 2-5, participate in this program.

Recently cleared of mountains of mulch and debris that had collected over the years on the vacant site, the 1/3-acre plot between the Child Development Center and the Water Conservation Garden will boast lots of extras, including a nearby amphitheater and a meandering creek bed.

The Child Development Center is a pre-kindergarten day care facility serving both the college and off-campus communities, and is uniquely suited as an onsite lab for students enrolled in the college’s child development program.

A $25,000 grant from the county’s Health and Human Services Agency helped establish the new garden and also pays the $100 monthly stipend for the seniors, affectionately called the “Gardening Grannies” by the center’s young inhabitants.

For the children, ages 2-5, the intent is to teach good nutrition to a population accustomed to diets heavy on processed foods.

For the seniors, it’s a healthy outdoor activity and a rare opportunity to connect with kids.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #coolideas? You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

Seniors/Volunteers for Childhood Immunization

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea is one from the past.

Seniors/Volunteers for Childhood Immunization is an intergenerational immunization program based in Texas.

(Check our archives for parts 1-80 | non-archived: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

The Seniors/Volunteers for Childhood Immunization program strives to encourage the timely receipt of immunizations for pre-school aged children in Texas and beyond.

Senior volunteers possess the experience of witnessing the devastating effects of diseases that are now vaccine preventable. 

Their understanding of the critical need for immunizations, coupled with their unique skills, compels them to become devoted advocates to the mission of ensuring the health of the youngest members of their local community.

The program trains older adults to educate new mothers in hospitals or birthing centers about preschool immunization. Consenting mothers are enrolled into a community-based immunization reminder program.

Seniors/Volunteers for Child Immunization also calls or sends cards reminding mothers of their childrens' two, four, six, and twelve month immunizations, and evaluates their success based on official immunization records.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Post them to our 
Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

Opening Minds through Art

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week's cool idea, Opening Minds through Art (OMA), is a Generations United Programs of Distinction. OMA is a Scripps intergenerational art program for people with dementia.

(Check our archives for parts 1-79 | non-archived: 1 and 2)

Dr. Elizabeth Lokon founded OMA in 2007 at the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Ohio.

The belief is that people with dementia can express themselves through art. With that, OMA builds bridges across age and cognitive barriers.

The program promotes social engagement, autonomy and dignity of people with dementia . It accomplishes this by pairing people with dementia with trained volunteers.

The art-making sessions include a gallery exhibition to celebrate the artists' accomplishments. It also shows the public the creative capacities of people with dementia.

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. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

San Pasqual Academy

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week’s cool idea is San Pasqual Academy, a first-in-the-nation residential education campus designed specifically for foster teens.

(Check our archives for parts 1-78 | non-archived: 1 and 2)

The Academy provides foster teens with a stable, caring home, a quality, individualized education, and the skills needed for independent living.

The San Pasqual Academy Neighbors (SPAN) intergenerational mentoring program brings foster youth and foster grandparents together in this warm and supportive community.

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. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

ART CART

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week’s cool idea is ART CART, a replicable, interdisciplinary, intergenerational, educational experience that connects aging professional artists with teams of graduate and upper-level undergraduate students to undertake the preparation and preservation of their creative work, and to help shape the future of our American cultural legacy.

(Check our archives for parts 1-77 | non-archived: 1 and 2)

Over the course of an academic year, several teams of students, each working with a single visual artist, will document a substantial number of works – collecting both high-quality digital images as well as relevant historical, biographical, and artistic background information.

Piloted at Columbia University in 2010, with six professional visual artists and twelve graduate students in art education, art history, arts administration, occupational therapy, public health, and social work, ART CART was repeated in the New York City and Washington, DC metro areas in 2012–2013 with 10 professional artists age 63–100 and 20 fellows in each location in a partnership with seven universities, a major museum, and a senior services center.

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. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

The Intergenerational African-American Quilting Workshop at the Brooklyn Public Library

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week’s cool idea is the Brooklyn Public Library's intergenerational African American quilting workshop, which honors the historical significance of quilting in the days before the Civil War.

(Check our archives.)

The African American quilting tradition dates back to the U.S. antebellum period, but has deeper roots in the West African textile arts.

Youths are taught about this history while learning a useful skill from older adult volunteers.

Some quilts were created out of necessity, while others were encoded with secret messages and symbols–African Adinkra symbols popular amongst the Akan of Ghana, West Africa–to aide enslaved Africans in their escape from chattel slavery.

During a time period when it was illegal for African Americans to read and write, other quilts were created to record family history and use as tools during storytelling.

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. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

All Together Now

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week, we 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.

This week’s cool idea is All Together Now through Story Center, which invites older adults and youth across the US to honor the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and narrow the generation gap through story.

(Check our archives for parts 1-74.)

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement of the fifties and sixties, All Together Now seeks to remind younger generations that “rights must always be renewed and reaffirmed” and that social justice is an ongoing effort for communities facing ongoing discrimination and marginalization.

Through free day-long Storied Sessions, All Together Now staff assists elders and youth in sharing stories about taking action in their communities and the impact of the Civil Rights Movement in their lives.

Using the Story Circle process, each participant is supported in creating a story, written and recorded in his or her own voice, with an accompanying photo.

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. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.