Intergenerational Program Database

The Adult & Senior Center of Saratoga offers an intergenerational art program for seniors and children. This free workshop offers the opportunity for children to work alongside seniors in an informal, creative setting. Participants will be guided as much or as little as they wish while they use acrylic paints on canvas. A fun and funky still life will be assembled for inspiration. At the end of the session, everyone will take home their own masterpiece! The workshops are scheduled during school breaks to give kids the opportunity to share in the creative process with grandparents and other members at the Center. http://www.mamatoga.com/2013/03/intergenerational-art-program-adult-senior-center-saratoga/

Monroe County hosts an annual Intergenerational Fishing Day at Powder Mills Park with the Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau and Monroe County Office for the Aging. Rods and door prizes are donated to participating youth by the Monroe County Fishing Advisory Board (MCFAB) . The Monroe County Intergenerational Fishing Day provides an opportunity for youth to meet our community's senior citizens and enjoy a morning of fishing and fun at one of our County's finest parks. This FREE event allows students from all grade levels to take part in a friendly day of fishing, while forming new friendships and learning about our the environment from Biologists of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

CATCH brings children and adults age 50+ together to learn good eating and physical activity habits for a lifetime. The program combats obesity by engaging adults age 50+ as mentors to teach healthy lifelong habits to kids in grades K-5. Adults in the program benefit in several ways. Research shows that volunteers have lower rates of depression and mortality and greater functional ability than those who do not volunteer. As they promote healthy habits for kids and for themselves, they also experience the rewards of meaningful community service.

This annual event brings together people of all ages to fish. The event partners include the Monroe County Fishing Advisory Board, the Reidman Foundation, the Monroe County Parks Department, the Monroe County Office for the Aging, and the NYS DEC.

MentorCHIP offers site-based mentoring at partnering organizations with an academic and asset-building focus to build the confidence and resilience of children ages 6–16 whose parents are incarcerated. The program’s goal is to significantly improve the cognitive, social, and lifelong learning of children who are affected by incarceration.

StoryCorps collects the stories of individuals from diverse backgrounds as they are told to important individuals in the storyteller's life, with the intent of sharing them with future generations. Frequently, this involves storytelling between relatives or friends of disparate age. In particular, the Memory Loss Initiative, which focuses on telling the stories of those who are experiencing memory loss, by its very nature often has older adults relating stories to younger people.

Since 2005, the students and staff of the Highland Central School District have hosted an annual senior citizens prom.

The youth development & leadership team has held three annual intergenerational programs. This is a student led and created service project involving elementary, middle, and high schoolers putting on an event for senior citizens in the area. This year the project involved popular television game shows through the decades. The goal of the programs is to create vital connections between both generations, to change perceptions and create a positive outlook toward each other. There was participation from nearly 100 students.

The goals of the Isabella Caring Partners Program are: (1) to increase the service provided by Isabella staff by employing high school students trained to deliver non-intimate assistance, (2) to promote intergenerational relationships, (3) to give students experience in the workplace and provide them with stipends and (4) to facilitate students’ exploration of health careers (Caring Partner Program, n.d.). Career Exploration in Aging brings students to skilled nursing floors where they visit and assist residents one-to-one and assist with group activities under the supervision of a charge nurse. Youth participate in workshops related to geriatric health care and issues of aging and health careers. It is an after-school paid working experience (Youth opportunities, n.d.). For 9 months on 2 and 3 day per week schedules, students spend time with elders. The Ratio is 1 to 2 students per 40 residents on a nursing unit.

Kenmore East High School National Honor Society hosts the Tonawanda Senior Citizens Center for an annual intergenerational dance. Students and seniors take a dancing break while students serve homemade deserts and listen to stories from another generation.