Generations United’s 23rd Global Intergenerational Conference is off to the races! We are thrilled to partner with Harbor House to bring the conference to Louisville, Kentucky in Summer 2025. More details, including dates, location, and travel information, will be shared at www.guconf.org as they become available.

Recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month

At Generations United we recognize the vital role mental health plays in the well-being of people of all ages. Our 2023 State of Grandfamilies report, Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies’ Mental Health and Wellness, aims to bring attention to the mental health and emotional wellness of grandfamilies, shed light on their resilience and challenges they face, and provide innovative solutions and resources to better support them. The report also includes policy and program recommendations for strengthening these incredible families. Explore the latest findings, data, and recommendations here.

Bipartisan Policy Discussion on Kinship Placements to Avoid Foster Care

Generations United GRAND Voice Victoria Gray will join a panel of experts on Thursday, May 2 at 3 PM ET at the Bipartisan Policy Center's upcoming webinar, titled "Bipartisan Policy Discussion on Kinship Placements to Avoid Foster Care." This webinar will dive into the differing opinions about appropriate policies and practices to guide situations when kin step up to care for children to prevent state custody. Learn more about this webinar and register today.

Intergenerational Solutions to Combatting Ageism Webinar Recording Now Available

During this 1-hour webinar, we kicked off our celebration of Global Intergenerational Week and learned about the World Health Organization’s Global Campaign to Combat Ageism and their guide, Connecting Generations: Planning and Implementing Interventions for Intergenerational Contact. We heard from a panel of experts sharing how intergenerational initiatives are working to combat ageism. Access the recording and materials here.

Generations United Highlighted in The Cool Grandpa Podcast

Hear from Generations United's National Center on Grandfamilies Assistant Director Jamarl Clark and GRAND Voice Mr. Robert Brown in the latest episode on The Cool Grandpa Podcast, titled "Support for Grandparents with Generations United." You'll first learn how Mr. Brown and his wife became the guardians and then the parents of their three young grandsons. You will also learn more about grandfamlies and the important work Generations United does to support them. Listen to The Cool Grandpa episode here. Visit here for recent media coverage of our topics.

Our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association have prepared another tribal fact sheet, and we have added it to the GrandFacts Fact Sheet page of our website. The fact sheet focuses on programs and services available from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and it is full of information and links that will be useful to kinship/grandfamilies and the professionals who work with them.

Access the Fact Sheet

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!

Music & Memory

Music & Memory is a non-profit organization that helps individuals with a wide range of cognitive and physical conditions to engage with the world, ease pain, and reclaim their humanity through personalized music. Personalized music can activate cognition, boost spirits, and improve the quality of life and care. Music & Memory’s certification program trains organizations on how to set up personalized music playlists for those in their care. These music playlists – containing the beloved songs from a person’s formative years (15-25 years) – tap deep memories long attached to the brain and bring listeners back to life, enabling them to feel like themselves again, converse, socialize, and stay present. Read more about Music & Memory here.

The Eisner Prize Fellows

Calling all intergenerational innovators! Applications for the second cohort of the Eisner Prize Fellowship are now open! The deadline is May 22, 2024. This new program supports leaders pioneering innovations in intergenerational connection. Learn more about the Fellowship here.

Celebrating Older Americans Month

May is Older Americans Month! The 2024 theme, Powered By Connection, recognizes the profound impact of meaningful relationships and social connections on our health and well-being. Learn more about this year's theme and how you can participate at acl.gov/oam.

Austin Heyman, a longtime champion of intergenerational connections, passed away on April 15, 2024, at 93. After 25 years of federal service, Austin founded Interages in 1986 and served as its executive director until 1997. As an organization devoted to bringing younger and older people together in Montgomery County, Maryland, Interages created many innovative intergenerational programs under Austin’s leadership. He was a fixture at Generations United conferences, pushing us always for more time for networking. Austin’s dedicated work was instrumental in Montgomery County’s recognition as one of Generations United’s Best Intergenerational Communities in 2013. Austin continued to be a staunch advocate for children, youth, and older adults, testifying on behalf of older adults virtually at a county council budget hearing the week before his passing. His legacy lives on in the many people and groups in Montgomery County making intergenerational connections and the JCA Heyman Interages® Center named in his honor.

To learn more about this incredible intergenerational pioneer, watch a video of Austin being interviewed by Dinah, a high school student.