(Washington, DC)—Generations United—with support from the RRF Foundation for Aging—released three new intergenerational resources to strengthen and expand intergenerational programs. These resources also support the growing field of practice by increasing the knowledge and skills of people working to connect and support older adults, children, and youth.
The first, Making the Case for Intergenerational Programs, is based on a comprehensive review of the literature on intergenerational programs and highlights evidence-based findings on how intergenerational programs benefit everyone.
“While we are living longer, our society is experiencing profound challenges in education, health, work and retirement, family caregiving, civic engagement, and a sense of belonging,” said Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United. “Intergenerational programs are charting a way to achieve a healthy, equitable, and harmonious society for all.”
The next resource—Fact Sheet: Intergenerational Programs Benefit Everyone, a companion piece to the first resource—provides an overview of the benefits of intergenerational programs for all ages, staff, organizations, and communities.
And finally, Staying Connected While Staying Apart: Intergenerational Programs & the COVID-19 Pandemic, offers examples of virtual and remote intergenerational programs and lessons-learned during the pandemic.
“This resource is designed to share what we have learned about intergenerational engagement during the pandemic,” said Sheri Steinig, special projects director at Generations United. “We share some of the research findings and present a detailed list of inspiring intergenerational initiatives focusing on creativity, art, and storytelling; helping each other; accessing vaccines; tutoring and mentoring; pen pals; and shared sites.”
About Generations United: For over three decades, Generations United’s mission has been to improve the lives of children, youth and older adults through intergenerational collaboration, public policies and programs for the enduring benefit of all. We have been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. We believe that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged.www.gu.org.
About the RRF Foundation for Aging: During the last 42 years, RRF Foundation for Aging, formerly The Retirement Research Foundation, has awarded nearly 5,000 grants worth almost $250 million—all dedicated to improving the quality of life for all of us as we age. RRF’s grantmaking focuses on four priority areas—caregiving, economic security in later life, housing, and social and intergenerational connectedness. These issues are fundamental to allowing all of us to age where we want to and how we want to. RRF was one of the first private foundations to focus exclusively on aging issues, and continues to support a range of advocacy, direct service, research, training, and organizational capacity building efforts, both in the Chicago area and nationally. To learn more about RRF Foundation for Aging, please visit www.rrf.org.