Intergenerational Program Database

Intergenerational program for high school students who have recently arrived in this country with little or no English language skills. Bilingual volunteers work with students in our ESL (English as a Second Language) Center during the school day and after school to provide support. Increases communication skills and familiarity with American culture. Brings consultants to help students acclimate to their new environment safely.

Through this “e-literacy” intergenerational program, high school students use their skills to teach older adults computer knowledge over a period of 6 weeks.

Youth Connect is a youth led community service initiative with several different programs. "Project Touch" is an intergenerational community service group that connects neighborhood youth to senior centers and elderly clients so that they can come together in a variety of activities, including meal sharing and shopping. Youth provide shopping escort services, light housekeeping, and companionship to frail, homebound elderly clients. In another program, blind/visually impaired youth join sighted youth to plan and lead recreational and social activities for blind/visually impaired seniors.

At the Senior Lunch Program volunteers serve hot kosher meals every Sunday to 20-25 low-income seniors at one of our senior housing sites in Kipps Bay, Manhattan. Residents are invited from different nearby Met Council senior housing sites to attend this program. Some volunteer duties include setting up, waiting on the clients, serving lunch, and – most importantly – socializing with our clients. Volunteers include teen and young professional groups.

Our Folks is a program of Groundwork Hudson Valley in Yonkers, NY, where teens survey older homeowners, identify needed yard and household repairs, and carry out improvements. Around 20 youth and 25 older adults each year participate in this program. One goal is to bridge the generation gap by bringing people together over shared projects and shared lunches, which the students and homeowners prepare and eat together. Another part of the program is the "food team," which trains older adults to conduct cooking demonstrations of healthy foods in afterschool programs and at community events. Through ComNET, Groundwork organizes teams consisting of teens and senior citizens — and a few in-betweeners — to identify problems that need fixing. The problems are logged, along with the exact GPS location, into hand-held computers. Then, back at the office, Groundwork staff collate the problems into detailed reports that are then forwarded to the appropriate Yonkers government official and monitored to ensure that the problems are remedied.

Students and Mature Adults Read Together (SMART) utilizes the largely untapped resources of older adults to benefit the youth of Westchester. Older adults use the skills, knowledge, and insight gained over many years, and through diverse experiences, to tutor and mentor students who are reading below grade level in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

The Magic Moments program uniquely blends two groups of people who are often marginalized in American society: developmentally challenged teenagers and nursing home residents who have dementia. Through the program, which runs daily from 9:30 am to 11:45 am, the students assist Nursing and Therapeutic Recreation staff by setting up a resident lounge with games such as beanbag and/or ball toss and various art projects. The students model their interactions on those of the professional staff, working as a team, co-leading activities, encouraging residents to participate, and serving them refreshments. The Magic Moments program has pioneered a way for these young people with developmental challenges to provide direct support and encouragement to residents who have dementia, taking them from behind the scenes into the spotlight.

The Evening Edition at My Second Home begins at 3pm and ends at 7pm. The first hour is group therapy and peer group support led by a social worker to provide an opportunity for participants to address any challenges they may be experiencing due to their diagnosis. The intergenerational aspects of the program begin at 4pm starting with a current events discussion using i-Pad technology with local high school students. We are currently running an art history project with an after school group of children whose ages range from 8-10 years old. We use technology to show artwork done by the Great Masters and do a hands-on art project inspired by what we saw. The evening culminates with a farm fresh dinner enjoyed by both the Evening Edition Participants and the high school students. After dinner the students teach participants how they can stay connected to friends using social media.

Warwick Day Care Center is located on a shared site with two senior care facilities. On Fridays the preschoolers visit with the seniors and sing with them. Keyword: Shared Site

Since 2000, Bishop’s Commons Enriched Living has embraced children of all ages with creative and age appropriate activities and programs. They utilize a neighboring elementary school, day care, and SUNY state college students to foster interaction and friendships with the seniors living at Bishop's Commons. On a weekly basis, our community creates activities for any age that is interactive and meaningful where children and seniors learn from each other, share experiences and life stories, and simply have fun. It begins with the youngest of ages, where infants join seniors for “Lullaby Baby Socials” where singing, rocking, and floor time is simple and easy, yet fulfilling for everyone. Bishop’s Commons staff works to make a meaningful child/senior interaction and experience whenever the opportunity arises so much that the enriched living residence has acquired a reputation around the entire Oswego community where schools that are farther away are calling to bring their students in to benefit from the programs.