Join Generations United next week on Wednesday, November 8, at 3:00 PM ET for the virtual release of our 2023 State of Grandfamilies report, Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies' Mental Health and Wellness. 

During this report release webinar, you'll have the opportunity to: 

• Explore key findings and highlights from the report. 
• Engage in a conversation with caregivers and young members of grandfamilies facilitated by Sonia Emerson of ChildFocus Partners. 
• Hear insights from subject-matter expert Dr. Joseph Crumbley. 

Don't miss this valuable webinar. Register today and join the conversation! 

Thanks to The Brookdale Foundation Group for making this report and event possible, and to Centene Corporation for their valuable support! 

President Biden Proclaims November National Family Caregivers Month!

November is National Family Caregivers Month, which honors and recognizes the invaluable work of family caregivers across the country. Yesterday, President Biden honored family caregivers for all they do for the nation with a Presidential Proclamation. He wrote:

"Let us celebrate and honor our caregivers and renew our efforts to protect their dignity, health, and security. Because when we care for our caregivers, we honor our American ideals and move closer to a future where no one in this Nation is left behind."

Read the full Presidential Proclamation here.

In preparation for the 30th observance of the International Year of the Family (IYF+30) in 2024, Generations United held this expert symposium in Washington, D.C. on July 25, 2023, as part of its annual Global Intergenerational Conference.

This high-level forum brought together 17 experts to engage in three panel discussions highlighting changing demographics and their impact on families. Participants discussed and developed policy recommendations and priorities designed to encourage intergenerational solidarity and foster connections among transnational civil society organizations and independent experts at the United Nations level.  

Read the full report of the symposium with recommendations here. Access the supplemental materials here.

New State of Childhood Obesity Report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Did you know that 25% of U.S. households with grandparents raising children experience food insecurity? That’s far too many grandfamilies going hungry. Years of systemic racism and discrimination have led to difficulties accessing support systems and to inequitable supports for grandfamilies.

The new State of Childhood Obesity report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation highlights Generations United's new storytelling project, What Is / What Can Be, which invited grandfamilies to share their lived experiences and what matters most to them in creating new futures. Read the report here.

Program Spotlight - Wesley Family Services Foster Grandparent Program

Building population assessment measures can be costly for programs with limited funds. Utilizing opportunities to draw on existing data can be a cost-effective way to support program and planning efforts. This fact sheet describes the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), explains the benefits of adding kinship-related questions to it and how to do so, and provides examples of the kinship-related questions that Washington State added to its version of the YRBS. We are grateful to Subject Matter Expert Dr. Angelique Day for her work in pulling this resource together. Access the resource.

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 to access our resources!

Strengthening Cultural Responsiveness In Intergenerational Programs is a new report from Generations United that highlights the intentional and creative ways that organizations combat systemic racism by prioritizing the voices and lived experiences of diverse staff and participants in their practices. Available in English and Spanish. Learn more.

Generations United has updated our Children Thrive in Grandfamilies Fact Sheet, a resource that provides key facts about how children do in the care of relatives and a list of research articles to support the facts. Learn more.

17 New State-Specific Adoption & Guardianship Comparison Charts Are Now Available! These comparison charts help grandfamilies understand the difference between adoption and guardianship for children leaving foster care to permanency with relatives, made possible with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Learn more.

Sharing Our Space: A Toolkit for Developing and Enhancing Intergenerational Shared Sites is designed for individuals and organizations interested in creating an intergenerational shared site or enhancing services at their current site. Divided into 10 sections, the toolkit details every step of the development and operation process, from initial planning to sustaining long-term shared site programs. Learn more.

Making the Case for Intergenerational Programs provides rationale and facts to help make the case for intergenerational programs. It is based on a comprehensive review of the literature on intergenerational programs and highlights evidence-based findings on how intergenerational programs benefit everyone. There is also an accompanying fact sheet available in English and Spanish. Learn more.

Staying Healthy Across Generations: Vaccines are Essential for All Ages is an infographic that 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. Learn more.