Intergenerational Program Database

We recruit and train volunteers to visit and befriend isolated older adults in our community. About 35% of our volunteers are undergraduate students from Northwestern University. In addition, we have high school seniors who help create and present entertainment and group visits to older adults during the holiday season. We also have young families with children befriend a senior for an on-going one hour a week friendship.

The Family Folk Machine is an intergenerational, non-auditioned choir supported by the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center that welcomes kids and adults of all ages and backgrounds to sing together with a folk band. We seek to build community through singing songs with our neighbors, to explore American history and culture through song, to foster individual musical growth, and to pursue excellence as an ensemble.

Hope Meadows is an innovative residential community – a five-block small-town neighborhood where children adopted from foster care find permanent and loving homes, as well as grandparents, playmates and an entire neighborhood designed to help them grow up in a secure and nurturing environment. Residents belong to one of three groups often at risk of being marginalized in American society — kids caught in the child welfare system, families that adopt children with special behavioral and emotional needs, and retirees who are seeking continued purpose in their daily lives. Keyword: Shared Site

One of the benefits of serving seniors and children on one campus is that our WELC children visit with the "Grandmas and Grandpas" of Hearthstone regularly.  Intergenerational activities include show and tell, arts and crafts, singing, exercising, cooking, and reading with the seniors.

Young at Heart Center is located within the same building as Libertyville Manor providing a setting that supports the concepts of Intergenerational programming. This program, titled B.G.G. or Bridging the Generation Gap, consists of children ages 2-6 years and older adults participating in activities. The age groups meet weekly on an ongoing basis to enjoy interactions and activities during a supervised gathering. Art, gardening, bubbles, and music are only a few examples of the planned themes these two groups enjoy. Additionally, Young at Heart Center and Libertyville Manor host a few annual Intergenerational events: Family Picnic, Ice Cream Social, Carnival and Fall Festival

Aging parents who need assistance during the day and their young children enjoy intergenerational activities. Older adults share their knowledge and life experiences with young children, while children bring joy to the older adults. It's a win-win situation for both generations.

Actualized care for seniors and preschoolers has been facilitated by NVMC by providing and financially supporting the physical venue for a day care center for the community's elderly and a preschool for young children.

A school with a wide variety of programs designed to encourage grandparent involvement, including a Grandparent Relations Committee, Kupuna Courses, Grandparent Recipes in the Cafeteria, Adopt-a-Grandchild, and Campus Tours

GRANDcares is a joint project of UH Manoa and Colorado State University. It provides educational programs for both grandparents, grandchildren and service providers. Currently these programs are offered in Maui County and Hawaii County.

Opportunities for Intergenerational Interaction: 1. Adults & Children Together (ACT) is a program that pairs “Grand-Persons” with first graders who may need a little help getting a good start in school and a boost in self-esteem. 2. Listen To Me Read is a program that seeks older volunteers to work one hour a week with elementary children who may need extra help with subject areas. 3. Read To Me is a program for third graders. The children choose a book, learn it well and share their story with a person in a long-term care facility. 4. Some schools have found space for a master craftsperson to be in residence. Potters, bakers, carpenters and others take up residence, creating a whole new learning environment. When space is available, shared-site facilities allow older adults and youth to build connections; having a room available for activities for older people in a school or having the public library open to multiple generations provides the opportunity for sharing ideas and experiences.