{"id":7407,"date":"2023-09-12T10:54:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=7407"},"modified":"2023-09-12T21:37:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T01:37:09","slug":"innovators-find-creative-ways-to-connect-the-generations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2023\/09\/innovators-find-creative-ways-to-connect-the-generations\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovators Find Creative Ways to Connect the Generations"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the pandemic receded, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a community center in New York City\u2019s Upper East Side, came back to life. The halls buzzed with people of all ages, from young children in the preschool to older adults who came for activities and communal meals. <\/span><\/p>\n

But few were connecting beyond their age-segregated groups. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always had kids and older adults in the same building, but there were a lot of things that were preventing them from coming together, including safety concerns on both sides,\u201d said Jessica Leylavergne, director of visual and performing arts at Lenox Hill.  <\/span><\/p>\n

To help change that, Leylavergne piloted an intergenerational theater program for children, ages 7 to 11, and a small group of older adults. The weekly meetings started with icebreakers, such as fun debates over questions like \u201cOuter space vs. ocean?\u201d and \u201cSleeping or reading?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids were a little nervous at first,\u201d she said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t know how to act around the older people.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Next, group members collaborated to create scripts for two modern versions of classic tales: \u201cThe Influencer\u2019s New Clothes\u201d (a variation of \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s New Clothes,\u201d featuring a social media star, an idea contributed by a young participant) and \u201cThe Gingerbread Kid Takes Manhattan\u201d (a takeoff on \u201cThe Gingerbread Man,\u201d with the Kid blowing up Twitter, a twist proposed by an older participant).<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon, the age barriers began to fall away. The group became a working theater troupe. <\/span><\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Influencer\u2019s New Clothes,\u201d Ric Suarez, 76, played the Assistant Baker, with the role of the Baker played by a young person. He laughs when recounting how his younger counterpart \u201ctold off\u201d his character for doing things wrong. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, the kids treated us like their parents or grandparents,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were cautious because we were the adults. But soon they learned they didn\u2019t need to treat us with reverence. They just accepted us for who we are.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The pandemic revealed the harmful effects of loneliness, isolation and disconnection, which tend to affect younger and older people most acutely.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Giulia Manfe, 9, played the Designer in the same play. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with the older people was fun,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have good relationships with the older adults.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Lenox Hill\u2019s theater is one example of a wave of new initiatives cropping up across the United States. In recent years, community leaders, social innovators and even business entrepreneurs have begun devising creative ways to forge intergenerational connections.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the pandemic was a turning point,\u201d said Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, Inc., a nonprofit focused on intergenerational collaboration. \u201cPeople are realizing how critically important it is to have opportunities for young and old people to connect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pandemic shined a light on the harmful effects of loneliness, isolation and disconnection, which tend to affect younger and older people most acutely. The problem has become so widespread that the US Surgeon General <\/span>issued an advisory<\/span><\/a> in April. The pandemic also led to learning loss among school children, a rise in mental health issues, especially among teens and young adults, and a worrisome increase in divisiveness and polarization. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, the pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of many older adults, Butts said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIntergenerational solutions can really help to combat all that,\u201d she said. \u201cThey help build bridges, not just between ages but also between a growing older population that\u2019s white and a growing population of younger people of color. Intergenerational programs help connect those two very different-looking groups so that they care about each other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tech innovators are building digital platforms that connect older adults virtually with children, teens and young adults. Activists are finding ways to attract multigenerational volunteers and leverage their complementary strengths. Entrepreneurs are devising for-profit businesses to match people of different generations for mentoring.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re at an inflection point in our society right now that\u2019s making [intergenerational efforts] rise in urgency and importance,\u201d said Eunice Lin Nichols, co-CEO of CoGenerate, a nonprofit working to bridge generational divides. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of frenetic energy, in a good way, around finding new ways to bring older and younger people together to be part of the solution to problems we\u2019re facing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tech-Driven Innovation<\/b><\/p>\n

A fateful cab ride 12 years ago was the first spark of Eldera.ai, a digital platform that brings together older adult mentors with children and teens for weekly, virtual conversations. After a dinner party, Dana Griffin agreed to share a taxi with an older woman named Linda Storch. The two women quickly became best friends, even though <\/span>Storch was more than 30 years Griffin\u2019s senior. Not only did they just enjoy spending time together, Storch, a chief financial officer at a high-fashion shoe company, encouraged Griffin in her career in advertising and coached her on relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had so much fun together,\u201d said Griffin. \u201cShe had my back when nobody else had my back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Griffin was devastated when Storch passed away in 2017 at age 64. Hoping to help others make friendships across generations, she founded Eldera.ai. The platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to match older adult mentors with young mentees and to monitor the conversations to ensure children and older adults stay safe. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOlder adults experience increased purpose, community and health span,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cKids gain resilience and social\/emotional skills. You can\u2019t learn those from TikTok. You can really only learn them from another person.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Parents of young mentees have reported they\u2019ve seen a difference in their children at the dinner table. \u201cThey tell me their kids are more open, more curious, more interested in human connection with their own families,\u201d Griffin said. <\/span><\/p>\n

The mentors benefit just as much. Patty Early, a retired teacher, mentors Margot, a 16-year-old girl with Down\u2019s syndrome, through Eldera. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMargot helped me to reconnect with kids and brought me out of isolation,\u201d Early said in a blog post. \u201cShe makes me feel loved. She makes me laugh. She accepts me exactly as I am. That\u2019s what friends are for.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Connecting Generations to Create Change<\/b><\/p>\n

Traditionally, intergenerational programs have brought together people of different ages as a way of providing a service, such as the Foster Grandparent Program, which deploys older adult volunteers in daycare centers and tutoring programs, or elder visitation programs like Dorot, which enlist volunteers\u2014typically middle-aged or younger\u2014to visit or call older adults who may be isolated. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, some are taking a new tack\u2014connecting older and younger people to tackle issues of common concern, such as climate change or racial injustice. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, longtime climate activist Bill McKibben started Third Act, which he leads co-generationally with a younger person, Vanessa Arcara. The group mobilizes people 60 and older, as allies to young people, to work together to protect the climate and safeguard democracy. When he\u2019s called on to write op-eds for media outlets, McKibben often collaborates and shares a byline with a high school or college-aged person, to highlight the shared effort. <\/span><\/p>\n

Business Models<\/b><\/p>\n

While nonprofits have traditionally operated intergenerational programs, some entrepreneurs are testing for-profit business models. <\/span><\/p>\n

Griffin chose to start Eldera as a business rather than a non-profit because she believes that will enable the company to offer the platform at a large scale more sustainably than a donation-supported program. To generate income, she is negotiating with Medicare and hospital networks for contracts allowing clinicians to prescribe Eldera to patients who feel isolated or who need a sense of a purpose. <\/span><\/p>\n

Another for-profit digital start-up, called Hey Auntie!, connects Black women virtually across ages and life stages for networking, coaching and encouragement. It\u2019s still in early stages, but founder Nicole Kenney ultimately hopes to attract large corporations to pay for Hey Auntie! as a perk for employees, as part of their Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAunties\u201d are typically older women, not necessarily blood relations, who mentor younger people. Kenney said the term is a tradition in Black communities in the United States that can be traced back to West Africa. She was inspired to start Hey Auntie! when one of her own aunties guided her through stress-related health issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hey Auntie! is an example of another type of innovation: multigenerational programs that operate within a specific community with an eye toward preserving and strengthening the community\u2019s cultural traditions. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI come from a broad network of aunties who have not had biological ties but who supported and mentored me,\u201d she said. For the platform, an \u201cAuntie\u201d can be any Black woman with experience who would like to mentor others; those who join the platform in hopes of receiving mentorship are dubbed \u201cAuntees.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Three tribal nations have created joint projects for young and old that involve activities like storytelling or gardening. <\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On a similar front, the Northland Foundation\u2019s Age to Age program has provided small grants to three tribal nations in rural northeastern Minnesota: the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. <\/span><\/p>\n

Projects vary by community. Many include storytelling or community gardening. At Fond du Lac, older adults shared traditional practices with younger participants, such as ricing (harvesting wild rice) and sugarbushing (tapping trees for maple syrup).  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about sharing those cultural traditions while bringing people of different generations together,\u201d said Zane Bail, chief operating officer of Northland Foundation. \u201cThis has given the older adults a renewed sense of purpose. They\u2019re less isolated, they feel better emotionally and they\u2019re excited to contribute to helping youth thrive.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Back for More<\/b><\/p>\n

At Lenox Hill, after 10 weeks of writing and rehearsing, the Intergenerational Theater Project culminated with a performance of the group\u2019s two plays.<\/span>  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been a great exchange of ideas and many friendships have developed across the generations,\u201d Leylavergne told the audience. \u201cAnd we all had a lot of fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Giulia Manfe, the 9-year-old actor, enjoyed the project so much that she came back in June for Lenox Hill\u2019s production of \u201cThe Music Man Sr.,\u201d a version of the classic musical licensed for older adult community groups. She pitched in with props and performed in the marching band for the show\u2019s finale. Suarez, who played the Mayor, was thrilled to share the stage with Manfe and a few other young acquaintances he\u2019d made at the earlier program. <\/span><\/p>\n

Suarez sees benefits for both age groups. Working together made the older participants feel young and, he believes, made younger participants feel more mature. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope people in other areas of the country will do the same thing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way for kids and older adults to learn about each other.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the pandemic receded, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a community center in New York City\u2019s Upper East Side, came back to life. The halls buzzed with people of all ages, from young children in the preschool to older adults who…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Innovators Find Creative Ways to Connect the Generations<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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