Intergenerational Program Database

In this annual event students from Washington Middle School and Lincoln Middle school join seniors at Meriden Senior Center for a spelling bee. Unlike a traditional spelling bee, in this event students and seniors team up together to decide how to correctly spell words. The winner is determined using a point system rather than elimination.

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 program began in 2012 when students from Central Connecticut State University involved in an adult development and aging course partnered with seniors at the Orchards. The students and the seniors participate in small group activities including discussions and exercises.

Every week in every region, buildOn youth service program members contribute hundreds of service hours, whether in small, intimate groups or larger region-wide events that attract hundreds of dedicated teens. Our students re-discover their neighborhoods through projects like these: -Tutoring elementary school students -Volunteering at senior centers -Serving meals at soup kitchens and homeless shelters -Renovating community centers -Environmental restoration and clean-up projects . One of buildOn’s most popular service projects in Chicago is spending time with seniors; a group of teens from Theodore Roosevelt High School spend half a day bonding with seniors at the Northeast Levy Senior Center in Lincoln Square on the Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. BuildOn teens helped plan a morning of games, arts and crafts, performances inspired by Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” and chose music for a fun dance contest.

The Intergenerational Writing Project with Turning Point School takes place over three months, with our writing and discussion groups meeting weekly at either the Senior Center or the School. Each group is around 6 students, 2 seniors & one teacher and discussions range from current events to travels and philosophy. Poems, short stories and more are written and shared by all members of the group. The is a unifying theme or project each year for the project, which will be in its 8th year in 2017. The 6th graders call the project “amazing” “fun” and “so cool,” while the senior participants are grateful for “unforgettable” memories from the sessions.

Active older adults (age 50+) are teamed with youth (typically elementary-school age) for a half-day of fun educational and physical activities. The mission of the Games is to increase mutual understanding and respect between generations and to promote healthy, active, life-long behaviors. Intergenerational Games events occur in several locations throughout the county.

Low-income seniors mentoring children in schools, focusing on those with special or exceptional needs.

In the Five & Fit program, which is based on a model from Temple University, older adults (age 55+) guide young pre-schoolers (ages 2 - 5) and their families toward improved nutrition and enhanced physical activity. Activities include gardening, tasting fruits and vegetables, and fun nutritional education. The mission of the program is to prevent childhood obesity and to promote healthy, active, life-long behaviors. The program is a collaboration between Aging & Independence Services (the County of San Diego's Area Agency on Aging) and the Cuyamaca College Child Development Center.

Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring is a volunteer program that pairs older adults with children in grades K-4 to work one-on-one each week throughout the school year as their tutors, mentors and friends. Oasis tutors use a six-step approach to literacy designed by educators that emphasizes improved reading, speaking, listening and writing. The purpose of each session is not to work on homework or assigned classwork, but to build confidence & basic reading skills and encourage the development of a supportive friendship. Third party studies have shown that the Oasis tutoring program translates to stronger classroom performance and less truancy. Most participating children will end the school year reading at grade level.

Do you want kids in your community to eat better and exercise more? Consider volunteering for OASIS CATCH Healthy Habits, an after-school program that connects adults age 50+ with kids in grades K-5 to learn about good eating habits and play active games. The program combats obesity by engaging adults age 50+ as mentors to teach healthy lifelong habits to kids in grades K-5. It’s a fun way to be healthy yourself while you help kids learn good eating and physical activity habits for a lifetime. No experience needed, just your enthusiasm and interest in helping kids. Training and materials are provided.