Do you or your community have a program that is effectively creating meaningful connections across generations? Generations United invites you to apply to be selected as a Program of Distinction, the U.S. benchmark for high-quality, high-impact intergenerational programs. The designation is the only of its kind, as it aims to recognize excellence while celebrating the rich diversity among intergenerational programs. The deadline to apply is tomorrow. See additional information or contact Sheri Steinig.

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Each week, we'll be highlighting a program from our resource, Staying Connected While Staying Apart: Intergenerational Programs and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Next up is Health Nest Uganda.

Health Nest Uganda—in Entebbe, Uganda—was concerned by the challenges families experienced during COVID-19 in accessing enough food to eat. The organization was alarmed by the high risks of starvation. In response, leaders from older persons’ groups came together to discuss the impact of COVID-19 and developed a design challenge: “How might older persons and youth work together to be able to develop sustainable food solutions for ourselves and our families?” As a result, they are implementing action plans for intergenerational training in backyard gardening of traditional nutritious foods and animal rearing in order to ensure food security and income generation. Learn more about Health Nest Uganda.

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.

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world. 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.

A Seat at the Table: Piloting Continuous Learning to Engage Fathers and Parental Relatives in Child Welfare. This new report from Mathematica and the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families highlights a methodology by the Fathers and Continuous Learning (FCL) in Child Welfare project. This method known as the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) was tested to improve placement stability and permanency outcomes for children by engaging their fathers and paternal relatives. Learn more.

New Intergenerational Resources. This latest set of free resources, developed by Generations United with support from RRF-Foundation for Aging, aims to strengthen and expand intergenerational programs. The new publications—Making the Case for Intergenerational Programs, Fact Sheet: Intergenerational Programs Benefit Everyone, and Staying Connected While Staying Apart: Intergenerational Programs & the COVID-19 Pandemic—support the growing field of practice by increasing the knowledge and skills of people working to connect and support older adults, children, and youth. Learn more.

Fact sheet: Intergenerational Shared Sites includes updated information about these important program models and what we know about their impact. Learn more.

Federal Funding Opportunities for Intergenerational Shared Sites Chart is designed to share some federal funding sources that include—or could include—support for intergenerational shared sites. Learn more.

Generations United's 2020 State of Grandfamilies Report—Facing a Pandemic: Grandfamilies Living Together During COVID-19 and Thriving Beyond. Grandfamily caregivers are the first line of defense for children during the pandemic, having stepped in when parents cannot raise them for many reasons, including cases where children's parents have died from the COVID-19 virus. Download the full report, watch Senator Sherrod Brown's award acceptance speech, and listen to stories of grandfamilies impacted by COVID-19. Learn more.

Staying Healthy Across Generations: Vaccines are Essential for All Ages. Generations United's new infographic illustrates that vaccines aren't just for kids-they protect all generations- especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying up to date on vaccines for the flu, pneumonia and whooping cough is important to protect both older adults and children. Check it out.