How can societies transition from being age-segregated to becoming places where diverse age groups are deeply connected and collaborate?
Path One: Find
The first step towards intergenerational collaboration is about discovering kindred spirits. It’s a process of seeking out connections beyond the confines of age and recognizing the shared values and aspirations that bind us as individuals eager to learn, grow, and contribute throughout life.
HERE YOU WILL FIND:
> Steps to accomplish this path
> Inspiration: Cycling Without Age
> Tools to make it happen
> Ideas on how to amplify the change
Central to intergenerational collaboration is the act of working hand in hand, pooling the collective strengths of different age groups. Engagement and collaboration aren’t just about tasks; they are about ideas, talents, and perspectives that harmonize to create something greater than the sum of its parts. From mentorship to mutual aid, individuals of all ages contribute their unique strengths to help one another. This isn’t solely about addressing specific needs, but also about fostering a culture of care and empathy.
HERE YOU WILL FIND:
> Steps to accomplish this path
> Inspiration: Alzheimer's Indonesia
> Tools to make it happen
> Ideas on how to amplify the change
Moving beyond chance encounters, this step involves deliberate efforts to create cohesive communities that thrive with age diversity. By intentionally fostering relationships and creating spaces where generational boundaries fade, we lay the groundwork for a rich exchange of experiences, insights, and skills.
HERE YOU WILL FIND:
> Steps to accomplish this path
> Inspiration: Citizen University
> Tools to make it happen
> Ideas on how to amplify the change
Our societal narratives often perpetuate stereotypes and misconceptions about generational dynamics. In this final step, we share tools that challenge those stories, replacing them with narratives that celebrate the interwoven threads of experience, innovation, and wisdom. By doing so, we can reshape the way society perceives and engages with intergenerational relationships. Passing on the lessons learned, the connections made, and the stories rewritten ensures that the cycle of collaboration continues, enriching lives for generations to come.
HERE YOU WILL FIND:
> Steps to accomplish this path
> Inspiration: Museum of the Person
> Tools to make it happen
> Ideas on how to amplify the change
Cycling Without Age is a global movement that aims to provide older individuals with the joy of cycling. This guide offers step-by-step instructions, insights, and best practices for initiating and sustaining a Cycling Without Age chapter, enabling community members to facilitate bike rides for older people and promote intergenerational connections.
Re-Engage UK's Tea Parties combat loneliness among older people by organizing intergenerational social gatherings, connecting volunteers with older people to provide companionship and purpose.
Lab60+'s Café ComVida serves as a gathering for people to engage in discussions about innovative topics and initiatives connected to longevity. Each meeting is overseen by an ambassador tasked with facilitating connections, encouraging interaction among attendees, identifying synergies between projects, and inspiring new ideas.
Social Dancing is inspired by the Poco Poco dancing of the Alzheimer's Indonesia community, as a potent tool for dementia prevention. They integrated dancing into their program based on the influential research of Dr. Ria Maria Theresa. It brings generations together, providing joyful connections.
Grandmas2Go is a program that pairs experienced grandmothers with new families that need extra care, guidance, support, and mentorship. Rather than being babysitters or telling new mothers and fathers what to do, the "Grandma Coaches'' are partners and provide wisdom, nurturing, and a wealth of life experience to help families navigate challenges, build resilience, and enhance their well-being.
Mentor Together focuses on youth mentoring and aims to empower young people and break cycles of inequity through cross-generational supportive relationships.
Civic Saturdays are gatherings that bring different age groups together to nurture a sense of civic community and encourage meaningful conversations about democracy, citizenship, and civic engagement. They provide a space for different generations to connect, reflect on shared values, and recommit to their roles as active citizens.
Days of Praise of Grandmothers serves as a means to celebrate and recognize the pivotal role of grandmothers and senior women in shaping social norms related to girls' education and well-being. Combining a cultural ritual with a learning activity is a core component of this tool and it can be easily adapted to other cultural contexts.
A Story Circle is a structured gathering where a group of 5–15 people sit in a circle to share personal stories under the guidance of a facilitator. Each Story Circle is tailored to a specific purpose and theme, fostering deep listening and meaningful connections.
Drawing an Individual Timeline is a powerful tool that helps individuals visually map out the major milestones, setbacks, values, and influential people in their lives. It can be done in a variety of settings, such as family, community, organization, and more.
Tool Eleven: Truth & Reconciliation Oral History Project
Truth & Reconciliation Oral History Project conducts video interviews with individuals of African American and Latino/a origin to document their personal stories of racial discrimination. The aim is to foster healing, reconciliation, and social change by providing a platform for people to share their experiences and be heard. These video interviews serve as a powerful tool for connecting generations, promoting understanding, and advancing equity.
Tool Twelve: Uncovering The Hidden Me, The Hidden You
This tool encourages participants to share deeply personal experiences, including struggles and failures, in a safe and supportive environment. By doing so, it helps individuals transcend labels, discover shared threads that connect them, and build stronger relationships. It's a powerful tool for fostering empathy and understanding among adolescents and adults.
The River of Family Life aims to provide families with a reflective space to explore and share their journey, fostering understanding, empathy, and the identification of key family values and lessons.
There is a mismatch between the life course that we have inherited where you jam all the education into the first part of life, all the work into the middle, and all the leisure into the end. It’s not designed for the new longer lives people are already living.
Ashoka
