Enter the Connecting Generations Video Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Administration on Aging

The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) is pleased to announce the Connecting Generations Video Challenge in celebration of Older Americans Month 2011.  The Challenge will bring together multiple generations to create videos featuring the roles our seniors play in connecting us all.  Anyone can participate by joining an intergenerational team—including at least one person age 60 or older and one person younger than 60—to produce a video. 

In the videos, teams will share their perspectives on how older Americans maintain and strengthen connections in our communities.  From videos about seniors using technology to connect with others to older adults assisting in schools, any video that demonstrates what seniors are doing to maintain and strengthen community connections is a candidate for this contest.

AoA will post contest entries online, where participants can view and comment on all the videos.  A panel of judges will select the top 10 entries, and the general public will then vote for the winner from the finalists.  Entries must be submitted by May 2, 2011.

To find out more or to enter the Connecting Generations Video Challenge, please visithttp://www.olderamericansmonth.org/    

Bronx Grannies Hold Bake Sale to Save Grandparent Apartments, Threatened by NY State Budget Cuts

BY DANIEL BEEKMAN

Some Bronx grandmothers are raising money - one cake at a time - to offset more than $300,000 in state budget cuts to the funding for their unique residence.

The bake sales are a desperate attempt to sustain programs and services, from 24-hour security to after-school tutoring, at Grandparent Family Apartments.

When it opened in 2005, the Morrisania building was the first such facility in the nation for low-income grandparents raising grandchildren.

"These cuts are going to hurt," said Annie Barnes, 68, who cares for two grandchildren. "But our grandchildren need us. We'll continue to sacrifice for them."

A handful of grandmothers gathered yesterday to discuss bake sale strategy in a bright basement room of the building, where handmade Easter bunnies and colorful mobiles decorated the halls.

Most have cared for their grandchildren since birth. Their children are absent parents - sick, murdered, missing or in jail.

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Nation’s First LGBT Homesharing Program Has Found a Match

By Tony Peregrin

The Golden Girls—Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia—had each other to exchange quips about men and life, usually over slices of cheesecake. In real life, many older LGBT adults in Boystown looking for companionship, and maybe a little extra income, are turning to the nation’s first LGBT homesharing program to find it.

The homesharing program at the Center on Halsted is a free service that matches LGBT seniors with younger renters who can help with chores and other household tasks in exchange for reduced rent.

The homesharing program officially launched in December 2010, and as of last month, the program has its first match: a gay male renter and a lesbian homesharing provider.

“There are other homesharing programs across the country, but our program is specifically designed for the LGBT community,” said Britta Larson, 31, homesharing manager at the Center. “As LGBT older adults age, they can become very isolated and, sometimes, they struggle to remain in their own homes. I have had older adults that were living comfortably in a lovely condo, but when their partner passed away, they were not eligible for their partner’s social security or pension, and now they are in a dire financial situation.”
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Generations United Webinar: Intergenerational Programs - Evaluation of Shared Site Programs

Thursday, March 17, 2011 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT

Join Generations United to learn ways to evaluate your intergenerational programs and activities. This session will feature a presentation by a noted expert in the field, followed by questions and conversation on this subject.

Everyone is encouraged to participate in this webinar, both seasoned and novice professionals working in or interested in shared sites and/or intergenerational programming. Generations United wants to hear from you!

You must register to receive the conference call information. To optimize this virtual learning opportunity, please log-on to your computer and call the 1-800 number on your phone. If you are away from your desk, you will still be able to participate by phone only. Register Here

New School Program Unites Students and Seniors - The Southern Gazette

Seniors and students are involved in a new program studying ‘History and Culture’. A federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Project, it’s an initiative by the Town of Marystown (Canada) in conjunction with Pearce Junior High School in Burin.

Full Article

Teens Take Elders to Tech Boot Camp - WSJ.com

Teens can be motivational teachers for the elderly because of their enthusiasm for technology and agility with gadgetry. But, oh, the eye-rolling. These pair-ups can expose daunting cognitive and psychological gaps between generations, forcing young and old alike to adjust their attitudes.

A growing number of programs are training teens to work with seniors. The Central Oregon Council on Aging, a Redmond, Ore., senior-services agency, enrolled 70 people last year for tech training by teens from a nearby high school's computer class, and 100 more are signed up this year. A Carmel, Ind., nonprofit, Net Literacy, enlists 400 to 600 middle- and high-school students each year for a senior tech-training program called "Senior Connects." And at New York's Pace University, a popular service-learning program sends students to retirement facilities to teach seniors skills from email and online banking to Wii and video chat.

Full Article

Pen Pal Program Matches Special Ed. Students with Nursing Home Seniors

Written by JORDAN WOMPIERSKI
Even if they don’t realize it, the special education students in Janice Blaine’s sixth- and seventh-grade class at Fernwood Middle School are excited about learning. With the help of reading specialist Doris Whetstine, Blaine’s students have been exchanging letters with seniors at the Seacrest Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Little Egg Harbor and couldn’t be more enthusiastic about it.

“Being pen pals makes me really feel special and makes me happy,” said 11-year-old Tristian Carter with a smile on his face.

“Whether they know it or not, they’re learning,” Blaine said.

The partnership began in November when Whetstine was reading a story to the students about volunteering. The class started to talk about community service, and Whetstine mentioned that she routinely visited Seacrest Village with her therapy dog.

Once the students heard what Whetstine did, they started to get excited about volunteering or doing something to help brighten the lives of people like the residents at Seacrest. A few days later, the class started to learn letter writing skills.

“All of the sudden this light bulb went off in my head,” Whetstine said.

“We thought to make letter writing interesting for the kids and personalized to them, maybe we can write pen pal letters,” said Blaine.

Full Article

New Book Based on UN Confab Hails Intergenerational Solidarity

Intergenerational Solidarity: Strengthening Economic and Social Ties" (Palgrave Macmillan)is now availableThe book emerged from a 2007 Expert Group Meeting of the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Social Policy and Development (in which Generations United participated). 

A snapshot review: "Based on solid arguments and rigorous analysis, this book is a splendid example of the high value that solidarity among generations carries  for everyone in society, making it a truly shared society, a society for all." -Wim Kok, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.