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News for Advocates of Children, Youth and Older Adults  

from Generations United

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 Volume 12, Issue 40
October 4, 2017
Take Action to Support Disaster Relief

Looking for ways to help victims of the recent hurricanes? Here are some Generations United members supporting disaster relief efforts around the country:
Congrats, Jaia!
Generations United's Deputy Executive Director  Jaia Peterson Lent was named a  Next Avenue  Top 50 Influencer in Aging for 2017! Each year,  Next Avenue honors 50 advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, writers, and experts who continue to push beyond traditional boundaries and change our understanding of what it means to grow older. Congratulations to our many friends who also made the list.  See the full list.
Generations United in the News
  • In her Huffington Post blog, Donna Butts uses the movie, Victoria and Abdul, to highlight the benefits of intergenerational connections. Learn more
     
  • In honor of Intergenerational Month, Easter Seals DC|MD|VA's President and CEO John Horowitch shared a story about two young and old pairs brought together through their intergenerational programs. His piece also shouted out Generations United. Read Jon's piece.
A Huge Thanks to Our Members and Supporters 
We thank our new members,  St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care and Mi Casa Inc - Genesis (DC), for their contributions. 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 !
Policy Update
Last week strong voices of advocates stopped the latest effort to massively cut Medicaid and repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to all who raised your voice in support of protecting health care for all generations. Next, Congress will focus on developing a budget framework for 2018 and a process for tax and spending cuts. Proposals to cut important benefits and programs to help people of all ages are expected . Learn what's at risk for and raise your voice for babies, children, youth and older adults.
Grandfamilies Stories - In Loving Arms
Adam's Story
Generations United's Policy and Program Assistant Adam Otto's story is featured in our report, In Loving Arms. Before his grandparents, Annie and Jack Otto, won custody of their nine-year-old grandson, Adam faced repeated challenges throughout his early life. Read Adam's story to learn how his grandparents helped him heal and succeed. 
How To: Creating a Kin-First Culture in Child Welfare
Generations United -- in partnership with  ABA Center on Children and the Law;  Annie E. Casey Foundation; and Child Focus, Inc. -- created this WikiHow that highlights seven fundamental steps to creating a kin-first culture, followed by examples of promising policies and practices in use across the country. Learn more
Resource Spotlight
Valuing Vaccinations: Intergenerational Discussion Guide
While younger and older generations have more in common than not, they do have different experiences that can shape their values and actions. We included a timeline of milestones in the history of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. Learn more

This timeline is in our intergenerational discussion guide for our
  Valuing Vaccinations Across Generations   campaign, which we launched in the United States through partnerships with the Gerontological Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics with support from Pfizer.

Generations United expanded its international campaign as we continue working with teams led by the  Tokyo Metropolitan Institute on Gerontology (TMIG) in Japan and the  University of Granada - Business Sector Foundation in Spain. Follow   #bandAGEofhonor and   learn more about our campaign
Call for Papers - GrandFamilies Journal 
The editors of  GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy invite authors to submit manuscripts that examine new or emerging practice methodologies, program evaluation and policy perspectives related to grandparent-headed families.  Learn more 
Cool Ideas
Speed Friendshipping
This week's cool idea is Speed Friendshipping, which uses the speed dating model for making friends across generations. The Center in Iowa City's intergenerational social group -- made up of seniors, University of Iowa students and other community members -- came up with the idea of getting older and younger people together. They talk for a few minutes, then the bell rings, signaling it's time to move on to the next person. 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 Golden House by Salman Rushdie
On the day of Barack Obama's inauguration, an enigmatic billionaire from foreign shores takes up residence in the architectural jewel of "the Gardens," a cloistered community in New York's Greenwich Village. The neighborhood is a bubble within a bubble, and the residents are immediately intrigued by the eccentric newcomer and his three adult sons who live with him. The narrator is a neighbor, René, an ambitious young filmmaker, who, while researching a movie about the Goldens, charms his way into their household. The 70-year-old Salman Rushdie modeled the narrator after his 20-something-year-old filmmaker friends. "One of the reasons he becomes a young filmmaker is because I actually do know a bunch of young filmmakers," Rushdie told NPR. "They gave me the voice, they gave me the way into this character." 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.
Think Intergenerational - Funding Opportunities
Grants Promote High School Completion in Ten States. The GradNation campaign, an initiative of America's Promise Alliance, will provide grants of $250,000 and $100,000, respectively, over the two-year grant period to two state organizations and three community organizations focused on accelerating progress for more young people to attain high school graduation and post-secondary success. Organizations in the following ten states -- California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington -- are eligible to apply. Deadline: Nov. 8, 2017. Learn more 

Culture of Health Prize. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will award up to 10 winning communities $25,000 each and will feature their success stories. Eligible communities must be in the U.S., place a priority on health and create powerful partnerships and deep commitments to help all ages live well. Deadline: Nov. 3, 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
I Need You, You Need Me: The Young, the Old, and What We Can Achieve Together.  The new report from Generations United and The Eisner Foundation highlights national examples of pioneers reuniting the generations and making their communities better places to live.  Learn more

In Loving Arms: The Protective Role of Grandparents and Other Relatives in Raising Children Exposed to Trauma. This report from Generations United highlights the fact that grandparents and other relatives who step in to care for children play an important role in mitigating trauma, which children in the child welfare system experience at starkly higher rates than the general population. Learn more
Events
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

ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference. ZERO TO THREE. San Diego, CA. Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 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  
"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu (see the meme), whose birthday is Saturday. He will turn 86!

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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