Special Intergenerational Programming Workshop Provides Interactive Learning Opportunity

On Friday, February 17, MSW and PhD students, field instructors and alumni from BUSSW and Boston College attended a special workshop hosted by Professor Ernest Gonzales and the Lowy-GEM Program at BU School of Social Work.

The day-long workshop, “Achieving Health Equity through Intergenerational Programming,” took place in Conant Lounge and provided attendees with an overview of relevant theories, research, and best practices on how to effectively unite older adults and youth through programming. This workshop was presented by BUSSW Professor Ernest Gonzales and Andrea J. Fonte Weaver, Founder and Executive Director of Bridges Together, Inc.

Responding to changes from the organic intergenerational relationships, which existed in previous generations when family members tended to live in close proximity to one another,  intergenerational programs seek to revive those relationships as a means of promoting longevity and health while fostering meaningful connections between youth and older adults.

The workshop focused on the potential role intergenerational programming could play in addressing chronic health conditions, discrimination, and promoting overall health. “As researchers, we’ve done a pretty good job defining health equity. The purpose of this workshop was to take it to the next level and spark intellectual curiosity: What can we do, as social workers, to create win-win solutions for older adults and younger generations? What are the theories and best practices to intergenerational programming that maximize health, economic, and social outcomes for vulnerable populations? What are the nuts and bolts to conceptualizing, implementing, and evaluating intergenerational programming? Our students absorb a lot of concepts and issues across the social work curricula. The workshop was intended for them to apply that material,” says Professor Gonzales. Several successful programming examples were highlighted, including Experience Corps by AARP, a national volunteer program for at-risk children, and Bridges Together, a program developed by Andrea Fonte Weaver to enhance academic achievement and reduce ageism.  “Each participant left the program with potential models of intergenerational programming that could be applied to enhance the services provided by their particular agency,” said Reeve Goldhaber, Director of Lowy-GEM Program in Aging.

“While most participants were gerontological social work students, some students were focused on children and saw older adults as being part of the solution to an issue,” Gonzales said. “Alumni had concerns stemming from their organizations and wanted the latest evidence on what works. Some students were thinking outside the box and wanted to take intergenerational programming to new areas that focused on awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, diabetes, or housing displacement. I was impressed with the zeal, creativity and seriousness of our participants.”