Intergenerational Program Database

Volunteers for Community Impact sponsors the Foster Grandparent Program, RSVP, and VCI Cyber-Seniors throughout Central Florida, allowing adults ages 55 and older to connect with young people through a variety of sources. The Foster Grandparent Program and RSVP create the opportunity for adults ages 55 and over to volunteer as little as 30 minutes up to 25 hours every week with special needs and at risk youth helping them learn to read, and stay on target for graduation. VCI Cyber-Seniors connects adults with a young mentor who teaches them how to reconnect to their friends, family, and community through technology. Be a Hero... Volunteer!

When children can’t be with their parents, they should be with their family. Foster Kinship is a local nonprofit exclusively focused on serving kinship families and the over 19,000 children in kinship care in Nevada. To improve outcomes for children in kinship care, Foster Kinship empowers kinship caregivers to provide the safest, most stable and permanent placements for the children in their home. Foster Kinship provides three free programs for kinship caregivers: support, advocacy and case management. By helping to “keep home in the family” for these vulnerable children, Foster Kinship envisions a safe and healthy childhood for ALL children in kinship care.

Our Grandfriends Intergenerational Volunteer Program is one of the longest, continuously operating, school-based intergenerational programs in Illinois. The program began in 1991. Our program 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. We are a very culturally diverse community and our 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. Our 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 our Grandfriends have become.

Our program shares a building with a Head Start program that serves around 78 children. Throughout the year they come over and do projects with our seniors. We also have middle school and high school children to do service hours for their graduation requirements and they work directly with the seniors that attend our Adult Day Program. We have school-age children that work for us on a summer youth program to help their low-income families. Our program is the center of many generations and we are proud to say that our seniors of our rural community and also our youth benefit from coming together and learning lessons to take with them as they become important citizens of our country.

Grands As Parents Inc. was founded in 1996 and is compromised of grandparent caregivers and relatives who have found themselves in parenting roles for their grandchildren (in some cases great children). These grandparents have been forced from the realm of retirement to become sole caretakers for these energetic and needy children. Grands As Parents provides support services and advocates for the rights of the heads of such families and is committed to providing assistance to these caregivers and their entire household for which they are responsible. GAPS is designed to address the special needs and concerns of the grandparents who have specific issues (whatever the reason) and who are temporary or permanent caretakers of their grandchildren, however, this is not a requirement for participation. This a non-profit organization is administrated by volunteers and has a board of directors. This organization willingly collaborates with other nonprofit community organizations in the concept that it takes a village to raise a child. GAPS provides the following services/ referrals - Crisis/Stress Management, Legal Services, Housing, Food, Clothing, Human Resources.

A service learning program for youth ages 11 to 15, the Buddy Program is an educational mentoring project aimed at strengthening intergenerational relations and increasing respect for diversity. Run in collaboration with the Milwaukee County Department on Aging and local schools, the program connects youth with older adults and people with disabilities in Milwaukee area senior centers. The youth are involved in activities designed to re-enforce compassion and create a caring, peaceful community. The youth practice skills needed for future jobs, enhance their self-esteem, develop social skills and break down generational barriers through mutual respect and understanding. Intergenerational activities include assisting with lunch, reading stories, playing games, creating art, sharing life stories and participating in spiritual formation. Keyword: Shared Site

At the Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning RSVP Workshop Mentoring Program, RSVP volunteers are making a difference with at-risk students by helping them discover the joy of learning through the use of power tools. Students learn about safety and complete basic woodworking projects. This "hands-on" type of learning also increases the students' self-esteem and confidence and instills a sense of pride in accomplishments. The volunteers provide a supportive environment by being patient and by understanding that the students have varying abilities and learn at different rates. The real benefit of this program is the mentoring and bonding that takes place between student and volunteer.

The Tutoring Program is a partnership between RSVP and Milwaukee Public Schools. It is a volunteer driven tutoring program designed to improve the academic performance of MPS students. RSVP Members can take the role of recruiting, training, supporting and recognizing fellow volunteers in addition to tutoring. By working together, RSVP Members build a community of volunteers committed to help our local students succeed.

RSVP Kenosha mentoring program places RSVP volunteers in elementary and middle schools. They serve as role models and spend time once a week with their mentees in the classroom

Since 1994, these all-day events at Waukesha County elementary schools bring young and old together in a fun learning atmosphere. The “fair” is staged in the school gym, where groups of students come in to examine displays, watch demonstrations, ask questions, try activities and make sample projects to take home. Volunteers anticipate eager hands-on involvement with students as they try their hand at sewing on a button, making paper, leather craft or thumbprint art. Twenty five to thirty activities involve 40-50 volunteers per fair.