A society for all ages is one where older and younger generations live in harmony together.
A society for all ages is one where older and younger generations live in harmony together. For this reason, HelpAge promotes initiatives that bring together older and younger people to work on activities that encourage cross-generational bonding, and address issues affecting them and their community.
Why an intergenerational approach?
Different generations working with and supporting each other has been part of community lives in most countries for decades.
In Kenya, for example, it has become a mechanism for transmitting indigenous knowledge and wisdom, culture and values, instilling discipline and addressing societal wrongs.
Intergenerational approaches as such were first “named” in the US in the 1960s, defined as “initiatives or programs that increased cooperation, interaction and intergenerational exchange.” Foster Grandparents in 1965 was the first formal program and showed strong evidence of social benefits.
Dramatic demographic changes across continents over recent decades brought more urgency to developing and funding programs to support the interdependence between children and grandparents first, then more generally between younger and older generations.
Bringing generations together for change
DC Grandparents
DC Grandparents is a movement of older people united in facilitating intergenerational and peer conversations about health. First, they tackled COVID-19 by encouraging loved ones to get vaccinated and boosted. Now they’re taking on mental health, learning how to support others struggling with mental health challenges.
