Ageism is detrimental to our health and well-being and costs billions. Intergenerational initiatives that promote engagement and intentionally focus on developing authentic relationships between people of different ages offer great promise for addressing ageism. People of all ages report feelings of happiness, belonging, purpose, and well-being after participating in intergenerational activities.
During this 1-hour webinar, we kicked off our celebration of Global Intergenerational Week and learned about the World Health Organization’s Global Campaign to Combat Ageism and their guide Connecting Generations: Planning and Implementing Interventions for Intergenerational Contact. We heard from a panel of experts sharing how intergenerational initiatives are working to combat ageism.
Presenters:
- Donna Butts, Generations United
- Stephanie de Chassy, MBA, HelpAge International and World Health Organization
- Jeremy Holloway, PhD, University of North Dakota and Tellegacy
- Marlane Krasovitsky, PhD, World Health Organization’s Global Campaign to Combat Ageism
- Alexander Santiago-Jirau, MA, New York Theatre Workshop
- Cliff Whetung, PhD, New York University
This webinar will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for this event.
Learn more about our presenters:
Stephanie de Chassy is currently an independent consultant based in the UK, working primarily with HelpAge International as a Voice Advisor and WHO as a Voice and Meaningful Engagement consultant. Part of her scope of work includes documenting practices and supporting small pilots on intergenerational approaches in various countries. She has a Masters of Business Administration from the American Graduate School of International Management in Phoenix, Arizona, and a Marketing degree from École Supérieure de Commerce de Toulouse, in France. She combines her private sector experience in telecommunications and financial services in France then in the USA, with 16 years in the international development sector. After working in Washington DC for 15 years, she spent two years in Orissa, India as an Organisational Development advisor for a small grassroots organisation, then consulted for the World Bank in South Asia before moving to Oxford to join Oxfam for 10 years in various leadership roles on governance, active citizenship, gender justice and fiscal justice. Her expertise includes strategic planning, programme and team management, and facilitation of business processes and organisational change. She is passionate about citizen involvement in decision-making processes, and in particular that of young people.
Dr. Jeremy Holloway is a Geriatric Professor & Director of Geriatric Education at the University of North Dakota. The focus of his research is concentrated on the social determinants of health, specifically self-efficacy, connectedness, and resiliency of individuals, specifically older adults. Dr. Holloway is exploring a curriculum focused on intergenerational programs that include growth mindset, reminiscence therapy, mindfulness, guided imagery, and S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting practices to nourish internal qualities and self-agency of older adults. These best practices address needs related to loneliness and isolation of older adults. Dr. Holloway also presents and facilitates workshops on best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion within educational facilities and professional organizations.
Dr. Marlane Krasovitsky is currently consulting to the World Health Organisation’s Global Campaign to Combat Ageism. Marlane was the Director and Co-Chair of EveryAGE Counts, Australia’s coalition-led campaign against ageism. Previously, Marlane was the Director of Willing to Work, the National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability with the Australian Human Rights Commission. Marlane has also worked in Commonwealth and State Governments and the not for profit sector in a range of executive, policy and operational roles as well as a number of major public inquiries including the Review into the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force and the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW. Marlane has a PhD from Sydney University, an Executive Masters of Public Administration (ANZSOG), a Masters of Business Administration (University of Technology, Sydney) and is a registered psychologist.
Alexander Santiago-Jirau (he/him/his) is Director of Education and Community Engagement at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW). In this role, he oversees all of NYTW’s education and engagement initiatives, including the Mind the Gap (MTG) intergenerational theatre program, student matinees, in-school teaching artist residencies, after-school programs, masterclasses, administrative fellowships, and community-based programs. Some of his favorite work at NYTW has included developing educational materials and curating programming for the world premiere of David Bowie’s and Enda Walsh’s Lazarus directed by Ivo van Hove, the world premiere of Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown developed with and directed by Rachel Chavkin, Othello directed by Sam Gold featuring Daniel Craig and David Oyelowo, Heidi Shreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me, Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave Play, and the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. Recent work has included facilitation of MTG devising intensive workshops in London, Chile, and North Carolina, and the creation of NYTW’s Youth Artistic Instigators ensemble. A Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) practitioner who studied and worked with Augusto Boal, Alex has facilitated many workshops throughout his career, particularly with youth, educators, and immigrant communities. He holds a BS in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU Steinhardt.
Dr. Cliff Whetung is an Ojibwe scholar from Curve Lake First Nation. He applies critical gerontological theories and longitudinal methods to investigate issues of health equity and social determinants of cognitive health among Indigenous older adults in the United States and Canada. He received his PhD from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, MSW from the Columbia School for Social Work, and his BA from Princeton University.