Intergenerational Program Database

Intergenerational fiction and non-fiction book groups meet once a month. People of all ages are invited to participate

Children ages 6-18 and residents at the Clare Oaks Retirement Community are matched as reading and writing buddies.  Participants will read a children’s book and exchange letters monthly with their partners

The initiative brings together elementary school children, high school students and young adults from area colleges to the Addington Place community to spend time and develop new relationships. Activities vary and include craft making and reading, as well as community service projects, such as making fleece blankets for local hospitals.

Connecting Generations invites senior citizens interested in learning how to use the Internet. The program is free and connects seniors one-on-one with student volunteers from Eastern Illinois University who will teach about Internet technology.

District 214 High School students and residents hold an annual spring prom organized by high school and older adult volunteers. The planning committee meets every two weeks to plan the prom. The first prom was held in the spring of 1989. The event allows people from different generations to be together, create and share memories. The district also offers an intergenerational computer class. The A-OK Home Maintenance program operates twice a year, in the spring and fall. Our high school students, under adult supervision, provide older, low-income adults who are at least 60 years old with small maintenance projects in their homes.

Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois - 200 + RSVP older adult volunteers serve the community by mentoring, tutoring, and supervising in schools' afterschool programs, Kids Against Hunger projects, Parks and Rec. event assistance, children's literature fests, QC Youth Conference, 4-H, high school projects, adult literacy, CASA, children's museums, and more.

Conference event entitled “Ties to the Land”-Your Family Forest Heritage: Planning for an Orderly Transition. An Intergenerational Family Forest Project

The mentoring program is designed to connect participants from all generations to our community's more experienced leaders. This intergenerational program creates meaningful personal connections and peer mentoring opportunities in a small group setting that ensures personal interactions with mentors in our community.

Unique program led by younger adults that increases access for at-risk older rural populations to sustainable, low cost, physical activity programming. The theory-based LIFE program aims to connect the generations, improving aging perceptions in young adult trainers while providing socialization for the older adult participants.

The Broken Chord project involves the creation of a play about Alzheimer's Disease. In order to create this play the members must conduct interviews, re-tell experiences, and improvise new material. Part of this project involves the senior project, which is an intergenerational writing program between high school students and senior citizens. The goal is to use art to bridge the community's intergenerational gap. Students interview the adults about their lives and weave the stories into written portraits. This group also volunteers and provides service to the local senior centers and organizations. Proceeds from the events are donated to the senior organizations as well. Over $1000 have been donated to Iowa City Hospice, We Are Shelter House, Alzheimer's Association, The Center, Pathways, and Elder Services.