The family is centre stage of many current policy agendas and this is an exciting time to expand the understanding of the wider benefits of learning as a family and in a family. This article aims to open up new discussions and debate on using the concept of "family capital". The author states that as the debate on the social value of…

Shuan Butcher is director of the Center for Youth as Resources in Washington, DC, a national organization that connects youth to their communities through local Youth as Resources (YAR) programs, which engage youth as problem solvers, partners, and stakeholders in positive community change. In YAR, young people and adults work together as equal…

The intergenerational field began in the early 1970s as a social phenomenon in response to several factors that were affecting America's children, youth, and older adults. This paper briefly surveys three aspects of intergenerational programs: history and development, public policy focus, and recent research initiatives. The multi-disciplinary…

Argues that shared play experiences are a good way to build mutually beneficial relationships among older and younger generations. Outlines why intergenerational play is important, focusing on its cognitive, social, physical, and emotional benefits for both older adults and young children. Describes toys, materials, and games conducive to positive…

Describes how students listen to the stories of a retirement home and write tribute songs based on the stories. Notes that because students are accustomed to a classroom life of telling stories and listening to stories, it is easy for them to enter into the story-worlds of their elders, to connect with words and to piece together stories. (SG)

Designed program for preschoolers and elders to promote sharing, cooperating, and helping behaviors in children. Used contact with natural grandparents in preschool, regular elderly volunteers in preschool, competent elderly visitors, contact with less able elders in nursing home, and classroom activities about older adults. Program resulted in…

In an applied communication course in a Boise (Idaho) high school, at-risk students participate in exchanges with a senior citizens' center, learn about work force readiness, and work with developmentally disabled children. (SK)

Responding to the needs of estranged youth, a group of Benjamin Tasker Middle School teachers created the Thoughtful Pedagogy Model. The program allows adolescents to reconstruct images of the adult world through self-exploration; participate in field trips, assembly programs, and adult/adolescent bonding activities; and experience the love and…

Suggests many ways in which to connect with the elderly community. Notes that such connections are based on mutual needs. Describes several instances where elderly people were able to connect and contribute to the education of the younger community. (SG)

Explores the bi-directional benefits of family literacy practices involving English as a Second Language (ESL) immigrant parents and their children. Discusses the literature on family literacy and culturally relevant texts. Shares and analyzes the case of a shared reading practice. Suggests that this informal family literacy practice could help to…

The aging of the professoriate has also brought the graying of many of the most prominent experts on higher-education policy. Even these analysts themselves have begun to ask who will be the leaders of the key debates of the future. In an attempt to identify promising new voices, "The Chronicle" offers a look at several up-and-coming thinkers who…

Describes an informal program for promoting family awareness and facilitating intergenerational exchange through the use of a modified life-history method. Provides two exercises: the Family Geneology Exercise and the Family Recollections Exercise. Also provides discussion questions and suggestions for gathering further information about family…

Within families with bulimia, certain interactional patterns enable and perpetuate the patient's binge-eating and purging symptoms. A transgenerational treatment method is proposed, which intervenes in ongoing dysfunctional patterns, and provides a frame for creating a therapeutic metaphor ("legacy") to direct the therapy. Rationale and stages of…

Presents detailed descriptions of two intergenerational literacy programs currently functioning to meet family literacy needs. (MG)

Describes an intergenerational reading program using children's literature in adult literacy classes. Discusses the adult literacy training sessions and the adaptations of the model in a variety of instructional settings. (JOW)