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Bridging the Divide
Bringing Teens and Older Adults Together
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In 2018, we've branched out into our local communities with more "pop-up" storytelling events, bringing Best Day's intergenerational storytelling program to new towns, cities, and neighborhoods. These events create the exciting intergenerational environment of a Best Day storytelling session, with the goal of bringing
communities together to create new memories, weave personal histories into local history, and enrich intergenerational relationships. To learn more about these events and bring one to your own community, click here.
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"Things are just so wonderful and different now. [Teens] have the opportunity to do things that we never even thought of" - Shirley Hough, storyteller
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On a warm Sunday evening in June, at the cozy Inkwood Bookstore in Haddonfield, New Jersey, a group of local teens came together - giving up two hours of their free time in those precious first days of summer vacation - to learn how to build genuine, lasting relationships with older adults. This group of committed, empowered young people listened attentively to our founder, Benita, as she explained Best Day's model, shared some of the organization's tips for success, and spoke about the importance of active listening in creating a real connection across generations. When asked to share their fears about talking with older adults, most of the young participants expressed concern that age was simply too great a divide. Many worried about "not being able to relate," while some similarly feared that they would fail to "connect or bond with the older person."
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"I was amazed at how quickly and easily the kids developed a rapport with Kae. They all had so much in common because she had been a silly kid just like them." - Aimee Heslin, parent
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As the older participants began to arrive, however, it came time for the teens to face those fears - and learn that they are not nearly as large or insurmountable as they had believed. After rearranging chairs and tables to form three small, intimate storytelling groups, the young participants spread out their papers and took up their pens, ready to welcome the older adults. Although all were visibly nervous at first, within minutes, something beautiful happened: at every table, pens began to slow down and stop altogether, faces lit up, the room filled with laughter, and shoulders inched closer, everyone leaning together and talking closely, with an animation befitting old friends. It quickly became clear that this was not a room full of people who "couldn't relate" to one another; instead, it was a warm, lively space where everyone discovered just how much, and how easily, they could.
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"I went not knowing what to expect. I had such fun with the lovely boys who came and participated." - Kae Fretz, storyteller
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One table discussed their shared affinity for reading, another laughed and commiserated over childhood injuries - those universally experienced cuts, scrapes, and broken bones that come with growing up in any era - and a third table dove into larger social issues, learning about education in Pakistan, from which one older adult couple had immigrated ten years before. With no cell phones in sight, every participant - young and old - was absorbed in the new relationships being formed. As the event came to a close, the younger participants eagerly recounted their table's conversation for the rest of the group, while the older adults sang the teens' praises to the room, impressed by the maturity and kindness of these bright young examples of what our future can hold, if only we learn to bridge the divide.
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Thank you!
We are so grateful to all who made this pop-up possible. A special thanks to Inkwood Books for hosting us, Republic Bank for sponsoring the event, and photographer Corina Fad for capturing these heartwarming and memorable moments.
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- Kaitlin Kortonick
Community Engagement Director
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