Intergenerational Program Database

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.

The innovative RSVP PAWS for Reading program began in October, 2003 and aims to improve the literacy skills of children. RSVP volunteers visit elementary schools classrooms with their own pets students take turns reading to the animal. Research shows that children with poor reading skills and low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with another person. It has proven to be a motivator for children who are reluctant to practice reading with an adult. This program is also available to non-RSVP volunteers who have a Certified Pet Therapy dog.

The program offers the juveniles a chance to talk with someone who cares, and who is not paid to be there. The RSVP volunteer may be the only adult the juvenile has ever talked with who is not part of the "system" or part of the problem (parents, relatives, etc.). The center director reports that many are neglected and/or abused at home, but more often it is the lack of parental supervision and permissiveness at home and the consequent freedom which has lead to incarceration. In the center, they are forced to do something they don't want to do - perhaps for the first time in their lives. Meeting with RSVP volunteers allows these juveniles an opportunity to release some of their frustration and talk with "grandparents" who will listen without judgment. It gives the juveniles a chance to blow off steam with impunity. The director says he notices a visible difference after the sessions in the juveniles' demeanor, being more relaxed and calm.

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.

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.

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.

Contributions of Different Cultures are half day and whole day events where students and seniors are brought together to share and learn from each other. Through hands-on activities, music, and food preparation students are taught an oral history lesson. Folk Fairs help to demonstrate and preserve our community and appreciation of the past. Hundreds of adults and thousands of students participate in our Folk Fairs every year.

RSVP Reading Tutor program began in 1998 as a national initiative to ensure that every child reads well and independently by the end of third grade. Since the beginning, volunteers have been reading with first and second grade children in various schools. Most volunteers read with children for 90 minutes once a week. The attention of a caring volunteer results in students not only improving their reading scores on standardized tests, but also increasing their self-esteem as they become more confident readers.

This is a summer collaborative class including high school students from Milwaukee Public Schools and adult clients at St. Ann Center’s Bucyrus Campus. Together students and adults focus on creating art, utilizing technology, interviewing skills, and building relationships between generations. High school students introduce the adults to the basics of computer use and the Internet. In addition, they interview clients to gather life stories that are translated into art projects and memoir books which are given to each client participating in the program. The students get a chance to practice face-to-face communication with people from different cultures and generations. Adults get a chance to tell their life stories and share memories that serve has history lessons for the students. Keyword: Shared Site