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JULY 6, 2022

In the initiative’s second year, USAging is taking the helm as the Coordinating Center for Commit to Connect. USAging is the national membership association for Area Agencies on Aging and serves as a voice on Capitol Hill for the Title VI Native American Aging programs. USAging is dedicated to addressing social isolation and loneliness and promoting social engagement activities and interventions at the local level. As the Coordinating Center for Commit to Connect, USAging will lead key project activities and grow the Nationwide Network of Champions dedicated to this issue. Commit to Connect was established by the Administration for Community Living in 2020 to address social isolation and loneliness and their impact on public health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

USAging is excited to launch the first issue of the Commit to Connect Newsletter! Let us know what you’d like to learn through the newsletter so we can provide you with helpful information related to social connectedness. Contact us to share your thoughts at info@committoconnect.org. 

Communities of Practice consist of people who have a shared interest in improving their common work who do so by interacting regularly. The Commit to Connect Intergenerational Community of Practice seeks to foster shared learning and support participants as they develop or enhance intergenerational programming aimed at addressing social isolation and loneliness among older adults and youth at the local, state and national levels.

Apply to join the Intergenerational Community of Practice! Benefits of participation include enhancing your professional network, learning about field and research-tested practices to support social connectedness via shared programming, and shaping related resources for community organizations.

To learn more about the upcoming Intergenerational Community of Practice (or to apply to participate), visit the Community of Practice webpage.

Join us August 2 and 3 from 1:00-3:30pm ET for the engAGED and Commit to Connect Virtual Social Engagement Summit. This two-day Summit, co-hosted by Commit to Connect and engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults, will bring researchers together with national, state and local Aging Network leaders for interactive discussions on the current state of research on social isolation, practical implications for their social engagement work, as well as examples of engagement opportunities and creative solutions that may spur ideas for replication at the local level.

engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults and Commit to Connect are excited to partner to host this event. Both engAGED and Commit to Connect are administered by USAging and funded through by the Administration for Community Living.

Commit to Connect and ACL partnered with Professor of Social Work and Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Dr. Shannon Jarrott, on a synthesis of more than 130 studies, literature guides and reports related to intergenerational practice to connect youth (24 and younger) from historically marginalized populations to older persons (50 and older). The literature review highlights promising practices and evidence-based strategies of intergenerational programs that can be applied to social isolation and loneliness, and assist community-based providers of services to youths and older adults with leveraging the talents of their younger and older members to improve connectedness and achieve an array of desired outcomes.

Check out the full Intergenerational Literature Review to learn more about recent practices and strategies that could be replicated in your community. 

We are ramping up engagement efforts on the Commit to Connect Champion platform! This platform allows for a Nationwide Network of Champions to connect and share resources, ideas, and ask questions. But you can only participate if you are member. Join the effort to promote social connectedness and become a Commit to Connect Champion by signing up on the Commit to Connect Network Hub. The Open Forum has many active discussion threads. Be sure to stop by the “Introduce Yourself!” thread and learn more about the Champions who have already joined the Nationwide Network.

New Manual on Virtual Programming from engAGED: The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults

engAGED is a national effort funded by the Administration for Community Living and led by USAging to increase the social engagement of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers by identifying, developing and disseminating resources, best and promising practices and learning opportunities for the Aging Network and Aging Network partner organizations. 

Recently, engAGED partnered with Older Adults Technology Service (OATS) from AARP to create a manual to help organizations serving older adults implement new or enhance existing virtual programming. The manual includes key considerations, tips and best practices that the Aging Network can use to develop and administer virtual programs. 

New Videos on Social Engagement Opportunities for Older Adults

To highlight how Area Agencies on Aging support older adults and caregivers who may be facing social isolation and loneliness, USAging has produced two new video vignettes—Maintaining Social Connections As We Age and Getting Creative Through Arts Programs During COVID-19 and Beyond. Watch the videos and prepare to be inspired with new ideas for your organization’s programs!

1. Become a Commit to Connect Champion by joining the Nationwide Network of Champions! Tell your story and join the conversation!
2. Invite your friends and colleagues to join you as a Commit to Connect Champion! 

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

• Intergenerational Community of Practice Application Deadline (July 13, 2022 at 11:59 pm ET)



• engAGED and Commit to Connect: Virtual Social Engagement Summit (August 2 and 3 from 1:00-3:30 pm ET)