Today I wanted to look for people doing some work out there to bring different generations together. I was happy to find a few people who are doing some pretty cool things and some sites that people might want to connect to in order to stay informed of events / resources for intergenerational activities.
Gen2Gen and Charlotte Japp
Gen2Gen is an interesting non-profit that works to get 50+ individuals to stand up and work across generational breaks. Charlotte Japp is the creator of Cirkel, an intergenerational networking initiative that she started in NYC and has been running multiple events since that promote experienced people sharing their wisdom and vision with others.
Intergenerational Programs in Wisconsin
Here’s a few programs that people could bring into our communities here in CT and our Northeastern Region. These are not difficult to organize, but you just need to find the people passionate enough to bring them into existence (i.e., Senior Centers, Agencies on Aging, Schools, etc.). These programs bring those who have time and experience together with younger generations to pass on that wisdom. There are 4 great programs called out here on this organization’s website – RSVP – Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Social Q’s On the New York Times
Cool question and answer that the New York Times offers – one particular one was relevant to inter-family dynamics. When is an adult child not under house rules??? They specifically call out married adult children visiting parents with their toddler child, and how the two sets of adults have a disconnect. Parents think the children should be more respectful of the house rules and judge a little when it comes to behavior of the parents, and the children think they are heading to their parents’ house for a bit of a vacation...
Neither is really wrong, but the expectations and behaviors could be checked a bit more. There are a couple of other scenarios on the page that are interesting reads too. One deals with how an assistant is treated in the workplace and our obligation to defend politeness in the workplace and another about an older woman (70) being somewhat pressure by a younger friend (60) to go out.
Strauss Howe Generational Theory
Take a look at some generational archetypes. Are we destined to repeat ourselves? Their book The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy was a good read and had a comfortable look at how our generational archetypes influence our culture over time and how we tend to repeat these cycles throughout our American history. At any rate, if you want to look at some of the ways we repeat history as we label ourselves, it’s worth a look at their wikipedia in order to understand the theory.
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