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News for Advocates of Children, Youth and Older Adults  

from Generations United

Featured Articles
New Report Looks at Challenges and Contributions of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Generations United Staff Change
Home for the Holidays with a Grandfamily
Register for Our 2015 Conference in Hawai'i
Generations United in Kansas City!
A Huge Thanks to Our Members and Supporters
Generations United Seeks a Project Manager
Strengthening Families Act Webinar
Valentin - Culture United
Windsor Place Age to Age Learning - Cool Ideas
Funding Opportunities
Great Resources
Events
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 Volume 9, Issue 49
December 10, 2014

New Report Looks at the Challenges and Contributions of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren 

At  Wednesday's (Dec. 3) report release and reception on Washington, DC's Capitol Hill, Generations United released their latest report, The State of Grandfamilies in America: 2014. The report shines a light on the challenges grandfamilies face and the incredible service they provide our country. We also honored Senator Chuck Grassley with our inaugural Grandparents Champion Award (read his press release | see slideshow). Senator Tammy Baldwin announced that she will chair Generations United's new advisory council on grandfamilies. Senator Baldwin also shared the challenges her grandparents faced while raising her (watch the video). 

Among the report findings: 
  • For every one child in foster care with relatives, 23 are raised by relatives outside of the system
  • The number of youth in foster care who are raised by grandparents and other relatives increased from 23 percent a decade ago to 27 percent
  • Nearly one-third of children in all grandfamillies do not have their parents living with them in the home 
Download the full report and infographic to learn more.  

Generations United Staff Change

We are sad to report that long-time staff, Leah Bradley, will be leaving Generations United to work with our member, the JCA Heyman Interages Center, running two of their intergenerational programs.  While we will miss seeing Leah in the office every day, we are thrilled that she will still be connected to us through her new position and fulfilling her passion to work more directly with children, youth, and older adults.  We hope you will join us in wishing her the very best on her new adventure.

Home for the Holidays with a Grandfamily
In a new Huffington Post blog, Donna Butts looks at the important role grandparents play in the lives of 7.8 million U.S. children. "Children fare well when they live with family," Donna writes. "They grow up feeling more connected to their roots, their family stories and cultural heritage." Read the full piece
Take Advantage of Early Registration

You can register early at the advanced rate (until Dec. 31) for Intergenerational Action on a Global Scale, July 21-24, 2015, in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Don't miss out on our incredible line-up that includes pre-conference/site visits, inspiring keynotes, motivating educational sessions, culture-based and environmental action projects and more. Learn more

Generations United in Kansas City!

Next week is the Communities for All Ages Forum, Mixing It Up: Cultivating Multi-Generational Participation, featuring an address by Donna Butts. This forum will discuss practical examples of intergenerational communication, programs and engagement; strategies to change the conversation from aging as a burden to aging as a benefit for communities; and engaging human assets to help organizations and communities take advantage of the strengths of all generations and create vibrant communities. 

A Huge Thanks to Our Members and Supporters
Generations United thanks Barb Quaintance, Matz Blancato & Associates, Matthew Melmed, Eileen Stephey and Bert HayslipMerci. Danke. Arigato. Asante. Gracias. Thank you. You can also honor a friend or loved one with a Tribute Gift. Donate to help us unleash the potential of an "age-amped" society.

Generations United Seeks a Project Manager

Generations United is seeking a full time project manager in our Washington, DC office.  Learn more about the position. Full job description will be available on our website.

Strengthening Families Act Webinar

Advocates for Families First (AFF) - a collaboration of Generations United, the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) and the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) - invites you to join us for a webinar on Dec. 12, at 1pm eastern (noon central, 11am mountain and 10am pacific) to learn more about what the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act will do, as well as strategies for informing state implementation to truly support the families you represent. Register today!

Culture United

Valentin

A coming of age story told through the eyes of an exceptionally smart 8-year old boy living with his grandmother in 1969 Argentina. Estranged from his quirky parents, young Valentin yearns for a real family and wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. He befriends a hermitic neighbor, forms an unlikely friendship with one of his father's many ex-girlfriends and sets out to discover what really happened with his parents, all the while bringing joy and wisdom into the lives of the adults around him. 

 

Do you know of any films, books, music and TV shows with an intergenerational theme? Share them with us and we'll share in the weeks and months to come. Disclaimer: Inclusion in this section is not an endorsement from Generations United. Rather, it is a way of showing the multiplying impact when the arts and pop culture are age-advantaged.

In the latest of series, we feature Windsor Place Age to Age Learning, based in Iola, Kansas. Tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to 
#cooligideas. You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group or just text us through the Facebook Messenger app (friend me to join our Cool Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration. Learn more about Winsor Place Age to Age Learning.
Funding Opportunities

Imagine Your Parks. Through a new grant initiative, in celebration of the NEA's 50th anniversary and the National Park Service's centennial in 2016, the NEA and the National Park Service will provide an anticipated $1 million in funding through the NEA Art Works grant category to projects that use the arts to connect people with memorable places and landscapes of the National Park System. Deadline: February 19, 2015. Learn more

 

Sodexo Foundation Youth Grants. Youth Service America and Sodexo Foundation are looking for 100 of the best ideas from young people about how they can help end childhood hunger in their communities. $400 grants are available for youth leaders ages 5-25 across the U.S. to turn their ideas into action and make an impact on the issue of childhood hunger during Global Youth Service Day - April 17-19, 2015 - and beyond. Deadline: midnight on Jan. 15, 2015. Learn more

  

Generations United encourages you to submit intergenerational projects. If you have - or know of - any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to Alan King at aking@gu.org

Great Resources
Resources
Bridging the Gap: Increasing Financial Stability for Low-Wage Workers
This toolkit allows employers to help their low-wage workers increase their financial stability through access to work supports. Learn more

Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics Are Remaking America 
Through a compelling narrative, Bill Frey, senior fellow in the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, interprets and expounds on the dramatic growth of people of color in the United States. Learn more

Under One Roof and Connecting Generations 
These Generations United resources are available for the shipping and handling price - Under One Roof is $4.50 and Connecting Generations is $5.50. Order your copies today!
Events
Conferences 

Medicare and Medicaid: The Next 50 Years. National Academy of Social Insurance. Washington, DC. Jan. 28 - 29, 2015. Learn more

 

47th Annual Senior Leadership Conference. Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. Clearwater Beach, FL. Feb. 21-24, 2015. Learn more 

 

2015 National Conference on Bullying. School Safety Advocacy Council, Florida Association of School Administrators and the Florida Association of School Resource Officers. Orlando, FL. Feb. 24-27, 2015. Learn more

 

Aging in America Conference. American Society on Aging. Chicago, IL. March 23-27, 2015. Learn more 

 

Ready by 21 National Meeting. The Forum for Youth Investment. New Orleans, LA. March 31 - April 2, 2015. Learn more 

 

More Powerful Together: The 26th Annual National Service-Learning Conference. National Youth Leadership Council. Washington, DC. April 9-11, 2015. Learn more 

 

Intergenerational Action on a Global Scale. Generations United, Seagull Schools, International Consortium of Intergenerational Programmes (ICIP), UNA-Hawaii and JANCA. Honolulu, HI. July 21-24, 2015. Learn more 

Quote

"Sometimes grandparents are more than willing to step in and raise their grandchildren, but policies might discourage that. ...We should continue with work to build on the family success stories..." ~Senator Chuck Grassley 

Your Feedback Invited! 

We want Generations This Week to be a real resource for you. Please send us any national news on intergenerational issues in addition to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, reports and webinars. Local and state events can be shared in our Facebook group. Please also let us know how we can improve! My email is aking@gu.org. I'd love to hear from you!

 

Best,       

 

Alan King 

Communications Specialist

Generations United 

 

  
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