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from Generations United

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 Volume 12, Issue 20
May 17, 2017
New Report Highlights the Benefits of Intergenerational Programs
At yesterday's event in the National Press Club's Holeman Lounge, Generations United and The Eisner Foundation released survey findings in the new report, I Need You, You Need Me: The Young, the Old, and What We can Achieve Together. The Eisner Foundation also honored New York-based nonprofit DOROT with The Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence at the event. Journalist and political analyst, Juan Williams, moderated a panel of experts in the intergenerational field. Check out the highlights!

Among the report findings:
  • Ninety-three percent of U.S. adults agree that children and youth benefit from building relationship with elders in their communities; 91 percent agree that elders benefit from these relationships as well
  • Seventy-eight percent of adults seem to be so convinced that the young and the old are good for one another that they think the federal government should invest in programs that bring together young and old Americans
  • Seventy-seven percent of adults wish there were more opportunities in their own community for people from different age groups to meet and get to know one another
Taking inspiration from the survey findings and featured organizations, the report highlights inventive, intergenerational solutions and actionable ways to harness the benefits of connecting generations that include:
  • Lobbying your local government to make age integration a core value
  • Calling on organizations that serve the young to collaborate with those that serve the old
  • Challenging your local board of education to integrate elders into every school
  • Urging local foundations to support intergenerational programs
Download the full report to learn more.
Senator Susan Collins and Senator Casey's Bipartisan Bill to Support Grandfamilies
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ranking Member Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced a bill to create a federal task force charged with supporting grandparents raising grandchildren. The legislation follows a March Aging Committee hearing, which was a result of Generations United's 2016 State of Grandfamilies report on the opioid crisis and its impact on grandparents raising grandchildren. At the hearing, Senate Aging Committee members heard from grandparent caregivers and experts, including Generations United's Deputy Executive Director Jaia Peterson Lent. The Senate Aging Committee's press release quoted Generations United's Executive Director Donna Butts, who praised Senator Collins and Senator Casey. The legislation, Donna noted, "is an important step toward supporting the 2.6 million grandparents raising their grandchildren across the country." Learn more
Generations United in the News
  • In her Washington Post column for Mother's Day, Michelle Singletary called on us to stand up for caregivers who make priceless contributions for their families. Her column highlighted the GrandRally and quoted Donna Butts. Read Michelle's column.
     
  • In her article for District Administration, Elaina Loveland reported on the benefits of intergenerational programs. Her article quotes Donna. Learn more 
     
  • Sally Abrahms highlighted our new report in her Next Avenue piece, "Old and Young Want to Get to Know Each Other Better." Read the full piece
  • The Senate Aging Committee announced that Senator Susan Collins and Senator Bob Casey introduced a bill to support g randfamilies. The press release also quoted Donna. Learn more
Missed the GrandRally? Watch the Recording!
Thank you to the hundreds of grandparents from 30 states who joined us for the 5th national GrandRally! Watch this recording of the Rally.
A Huge Thanks to Our Members and Supporters
We thank our renewing members, A Little Help and Montana Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Project at Montana State Universityfor their contribution.  T ogether,  we  are  building  a world that values all generations! 
You can contribute and/or honor a friend or loved one with a Tribute Gift to Generations United.  Donate to help us unleash the potential of an "age-amped" society.  If you're an organization, join us!
Congrats to JCA Heyman Interages on 30 Years of Intergenerational Programming!
JCA Interages is a globally recognized leader in the intergenerational movement and one of the longest running intergenerational programs in the United States. Through in-school tutoring and mentoring programs as well as innovative community-based programming, JCA Interages reaches over 2000 children, youth and older adults every year. Recently recognized by the World Health Organization for their age-friendly work, they have also been given a Generations United Program of Distinction Award as well as Best Intergenerational Community recognition.  On May 9, 2017, JCA Interages received an honor from the Montgomery County Council to celebrate 30 years of exceptional impact on children, youth and older adults in the County.
Madison with her grandfather, Dr. Winston.
Announcing 2016-2017 Winners of the Listen to a Life Story Contest
Meet Madison Winston, 10, and her grandfather, Dr. John Henry Winston Jr., 87. They're the Grand Prize Timeless Award Winners of the Legacy Project's annual Listen to a Life Contest. Madison and Dr. John are honored along with 10 Legacy Awards winners. The contest is open to young people 8-18 years, with a grandparent or
grandfriend 50 years or older. Learn more
Conference Session Snapshot
Check out our Session Snapshot for a preliminary list of presentations and speakers that will be featured at the 19th Global Intergenerational Conference. With a wide range of topics and presenters from all over the world, this is sure to have you counting down the days until Generations Remixed! Learn more
Click the image to enlarge.
Cool Ideas
Episcopal SeniorLife Communities and St. John Fisher College
This week's cool idea is a partnership between Episcopal Seniorlife Communities and St. John Fisher College. They teamed up for an intergenerational program to help 4th graders start thinking about college. Learn more

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to  #cooligideas ? You can also post them to our  Intergenerational Connections  Facebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!  Share the inspiration .
Culture United
The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories
In her first story collection in decades, Penelope Lively takes up themes of history, family and relationships across varied and vividly rendered settings. This collection includes the story, "License to Kill," in which a young caregiver discovers secrets about her elderly charge. "...I just wanted to show that old people after all are not just what you're seeing now, they're what they've been before," Lively told Scott Simon in an interview on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. "So you look at an old person....but what you can forget is that she has many, many incarnations of things she may have been that you don't know about." Learn more

Culture United highlights films, books, music and TV shows with an intergenerational theme. Do you have any suggestions? Share them with us and we'll share in the weeks and months to come. We welcome responses or reactions. We'll possibly feature them on our blog. See disclaimer.
Vaccine Memes
This meme of Hamilton The Musical is part of Valuing Vaccinations Across Generations , an awareness-raising campaign we launched in the United States through partnerships with the Gerontological Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics with support from Pfizer. See more memes .

Generations United is now working with the  Tokyo Metropolitan Institute on Gerontology in Japan and the University of Granada in Spain to lead the work in their countries. Follow  #bandAGEofhonor and  learn more about our campaign
Think Intergenerational - Funding Opportunities
Lifespan Respite Funding Opportunity.  The Administration for Community Living will fund up to two cooperative agreements with a federal funding level of up to $200,000 per award for a 36 month project period. The grant will fund planning, establishing and expanding/enhancing Lifespan Respite Care systems in the states. Deadline: June 14, 2017. Learn more

If you have - or know of - any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to aking@gu.org
Think Intergenerational - Great Resources  
Research and Resources
Resources for Kinship Caregivers.  In honor of National Foster Care Month, the Children's Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provided a list of resources to help kin prepare for a change in roles. The resources also outline ways to effectively deal with changing family dynamics and include helpful links for additional support. Learn more

2017 GrandFacts Sheets. This resource from Generations United and our national advocacy partners is an important starting place for grandparents raising grandchildren. The GrandFacts Sheets provide state-specific information on local program resources, benefits and data for grandfamilies. Learn more
Events
2017 Global Intergenerational Conference - Generations Remixed. Generations United and St. Ann Center for  Intergenerational Care. Milwaukee, WI. June 13-16, 2017.  Learn more  

National Foster Parent Association 2017 Education Conference. NFPA. June 21-24, 2017. Houston, TX. Learn more

The International Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IAGG) 2017 World Congress. IAGG and The Gerontological Society of America. San Francisco, CA. July 23-27, 2017. Learn more

Take Off with Respite! 2017 National Lifespan Respite Conference. ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. Huntsville, AL. Oct. 11-13, 2017. Learn more

2017 Young Adult Services Symposium. Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).   Louisville, KY. Nov. 3 -5, 2017.  Learn more

International Federation on Ageing 14th Global Conference on Ageing. International Federation on Ageing.  Toronto, ON, Canada. Aug. 8-10, 2018.  Learn more
Quote  
"Intergenerational programs are win-win, whether you're 9 or 90" ~Dr. Joan Lombardi, International Expert on Child Development and Social Policy

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! Email us at gu@gu.org. We'd love to hear from you!

 

Best,       


         


Alan King
Communications Specialist
Generations United
  
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