Volume 20 | Issue 17 | August 20, 2025 | |
Greetings from Kristen M. Kiefer,
Generations United’s New Executive Director
We’re thrilled to welcome Kristen M. Kiefer as Generations United’s new Executive Director! In her first message to our community, Kristen reflects on the personal experiences that shaped her passion for connecting generations and shares the values guiding her vision for our work.
Read her welcome letter.
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Back-to-School Season: Supporting Grandfamilies in Education
As a new school year begins, kinship/grandfamilies continue to navigate unique challenges in supporting children’s education. From enrolling children in school to addressing special learning needs and the effects of trauma, these families often face steep barriers—but with the right supports, children can thrive.
Our 2024 State of Grandfamilies Report, Pathways to Success: K-12 Education Support for Kinship and Grandfamilies, highlights the strengths of grandfamilies, the obstacles they encounter in the education system, and the solutions that can help remove barriers and set children on a pathway to success. Read the full report.
Explore the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network's toolkit, a companion piece to this report, which contains five actions for K-12 school professionals and kinship service providers to take to better support students and caregivers in kinship/grandfamilies. The five actions each include specific steps and embedded tools to help children and their caregivers thrive in K-12 settings.
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Explore Generations United's Valuing Vaccinations Across Generations Resource
This National Immunization Awareness Month, we encourage you to spark conversations across generations about the important role vaccinations play in protecting our families and communities.
Check out our Valuing Vaccinations Across the Generations Discussion Guide, designed to help older and younger people talk about vaccines, share experiences, and learn together. Access the discussion guide.
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Apply for Intergenerational Program Certification Today
Generations United is now accepting applications to recognize outstanding intergenerational programs in the United States. The Program of Distinction and Program of Merit designations are based on the criteria that underpin the effectiveness of any intergenerational program and are intended to recognize the rich diversity among programs that involve older and younger generations. Applications are due September 26, 2025. Learn more and apply today!
| | | Updated Resource - Kinship/Grandfamilies: Strengths and Challenges | | Accepting Requests for Assistance | | As always, the Network is accepting individual requests for assistance from professionals who work in systems or organizations that serve kinship/grandfamilies. Fill out the request assistance form to receive support from our team. Learn more and sign up for our monthly newsletter! | |
The Network is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9,950,000 with 95 percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $523,684 and 5 percentage funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
| | Intergenerational Spotlight | |
Sequoia Living Intergenerational Program
Sequoia Living Intergenerational Program, a recently designated Generations United Program of Distinction, delivers meaningful and engaging programming that fosters friendly relationships, decreases isolation, and promotes mutual understanding and growth between older adults and young people in San Francisco. They partner with youth-serving community-based organizations and schools, matching them with their 12 affordable senior housing sites and two senior centers in San Francisco and collaboratively designing fun, engaging activities to do together. The program provides connection and purpose for over 2000 older adults across 12 low-income housing sites each year. Older adults enjoy sharing their wisdom and building long-lasting, mutual relationships with the youth in our community. Activities created and planned celebrate cultural diversity and bring joy to seniors who may be monolingual, formerly homeless, or socially isolated due to mental or physical illness. Learn more about Sequoia Living Intergenerational Program here.
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Photo courtesy of Sequoia Living | | Each issue, Generations United is spotlighting a recipient of our Intergenerational Program Certification or a program highlighted in our Shared Site Learning Network newsletter. The certification is an annual recognition of outstanding programs bringing older and younger participants together and is based on rigorous standards of program effectiveness and sustainability. Learn more about the Intergenerational Program Certification here. | |
Enrollment Now Open for Generations Working Together's International Certificate in Intergenerational Practice (ICIP) courses
Whether you're new to intergenerational work or looking to deepen your practice, the ICIP course offers a unique opportunity to: gain a nationally recognized qualification, learn how to design and deliver impactful intergenerational projects, connect with like-minded professionals across Scotland and beyond, and access expert guidance and resources from Generations Working Together. Upcoming Start Dates: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 and Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Learn more and register.
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August is National Immunization Awareness Month
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and a reminder that vaccination is your best protection against severe illness due to respiratory diseases like flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pertussis (whooping cough), pneumococcal disease, and measles.
While National Immunization Awareness Month is a timely reminder of how important vaccines are for your health, it’s essential to remember that vaccinations work year-round to protect people of all ages — especially those at higher risk — from severe respiratory illness.
Visit cveep.org to learn more about the importance of vaccination to keep you healthy, happy, and enjoying what you love.
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Thank You to Our Members and Supporters! | We welcome Centene as a new member. Thank you to all our members and supporters! Help us build a society that values all generations by making a donation today. If you're an organization, join us! | | | | |
"It’s important that we recognize the value in the intergenerational connections and transfer of information, of love, of community. It takes a village to raise a child, and at the Perley, they are living that."
— Josée Arranz, daughter of Nicole Arranz, a long-term care resident.
| | We want Generations This Week to be a resource for you. Please send us any national news on intergenerational issues, in addition to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, research, reports, and webinars. You can connect with other intergenerational enthusiasts through 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! | |
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Treat Yourself GRAND!
As a reader of Generations This Week, you are eligible to receive a complimentary subscription to GRAND - The Lifestyle Magazine for Awesome Grandparents.
That's a $26 value for 12 issues delivered right to your inbox. Get valuable offers and inspirational articles, like our column on GRAND Families, and more.
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