Intergenerational Program Database

Village at Penn State residents are partnered with students to learn and practice using Skype. Large group workshops and one-on-one sessions are held as desired by the residents. Students prepare handouts and assist Village residents in placing and receiving calls. Students are also available for follow-up and support assistance.

Generations on Line is dedicated to enhancing communication among generations by promoting Internet access and literacy to elders. Generation to generation is an intergenerational oral history on the PC training program. After school classes of 9 and 10-year old students, under a teacher's supervision ask questions about the past, in four categories: Origins and History; Inventions and Transportation; Sports and Entertainment; and "When you were my age." The responses by seniors are manually filtered each day; the teacher guidelines and categories are based on Fourth grade studies. The children involved with the program to date have been enormously interested. They are guided by a well developed curriculum to first think about older people, discuss their impressions, perceptions, and biases.

Volunteer teens of SeniorLink work to bridge the generational divide by teaching computer and internet skills at senior homes in their community, or simply by interacting with seniors through games, puzzles, or old fashioned conversation. SeniorLink seeks to ensure that any resident feels motivated, active, and mentally stimulated. In addition to this exchange, SeniorLink benefits people and communities in which they interact in many ways. The nonprofit organization has boosted the community spirit, recycled old computers, connected generations, and motivated more people to get involved in their communities.

The Intergenerational Pen Pal Program is a partnership between RSVP of Schuylkill County and several area schools. Students are matched with older adults and exchange letters throughout the year. At the end of the year they meet for a celebration. In addition to working on children's writing skills, the program also focused on building bridges and understanding between generations.

The Avon Child Care Center has been serving the community since 1985. We were one of the first daycare centers in Ohio to have an intergenerational program. Intergenerational Child Care is based on the premise that it is natural for children to encounter people of all ages as they grow and to participate in activities with them.

The intergenerational approach to learning benefits both children and The Commons residents alike. The program integrates reading activities, music and student celebrations. The program provides a unique atmosphere for learning, caring and cooperation. The program is a collaborative effort between the United Methodist Home of Enid, The Enid Public School System EPS and CDSA/Smart Start Northwest Oklahoma.

Greenbrier Village is one of two intergenerational school sites through the Enid School District. A full-day program for four-year-olds is run at Greenbrier Village. In the intergenerational programs, residents of the centers volunteer in the classroom and serve as “grandma” and “grandpa” buddies for the children providing small group and one-on-one attention.

Imagine walking into a room filled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies that the children and seniors have baked together. Or, step into the Adult Day Center and find the children and seniors making crafts, singing, or playing games together in a large, brightly lit room. Watch a senior encourage a pre-school child as they work to fit pieces into a puzzle. Tiptoe into the infant room and observe a senior rocking a baby to sleep or another playing with the babies on the floor. Fill in the picture with nature walks, bowling, group sing-a-longs and much more to begin to understand the precious and rewarding Intergenerational Activities that take place each day at CFC.

Newtown Friends School has shared a rich and diverse intergenerational program with Pennswood Village, an adjacent continuing care retirement community that is home to people ages 65–105. The program fosters relationships between students and residents, actively enriching the life of both communities. Weekly programs include Friday Friends, Wednesday Lunch Brunch, and Classroom Volunteers. Other activities include pool volleyball, Halloween parades, movie discussions and more.

College students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds tutor older immigrants in English, U.S. history and civics at community centers, religious institutions, adult education classes, and senior residences to help them acquire citizenship and become more actively engaged in their communities. Students participate in SHINE through service learning courses, as volunteers and as interns, and can often receive credits.