In an experimental evaluation of a "friendly visitor" type of program in which adolescents visited senior citizens, it was found that general attitudes toward elderly people improved following weekly contact with specific elderly persons. Two outcomes of these programs were found: the provision of service to the elderly and the change of negative…

Evaluated intergenerational program bringing together older people and adolescents to examine assumptions underlying such programing and to determine attitude changes among participants. Only attitude change observed was in adolescents who helped older people showing more enjoyment in being with older people, decreased social distance, and more…

An 8-week intergenerational program matched 19 African-American teenagers with 19 elderly persons. Compared to a 20-teen control group, participating youth had significantly changed attitudes toward the elderly and aging. Older adults also had positive attitudes toward youth. (SK)

The Teens Teaching Internet Skills Pilot Project engaged youth from 4-H Technology Teams in training senior citizens to obtain information from the Medicare website. The teens perceived an improvement in working with seniors, project management, teaching, public speaking, and leadership. The workshops had a positive effect on seniors' comfort and…

The Public Policy Institute, a 3-day civic engagement conference, involved youth and adults learning together as peers. Obersvations and intreviews revealed learning style differences, lack of experience inhibiting youth partipicaiton, and some adult insensitivity to the presence of youth. Replacing lectures with experiential small-group learning,…

German adolescents and Jewish adults (who returned to Hamburg after 60 years absence) met to discuss the elders' childhood memories and adolescents' current life experiences. The intergenerational interaction, placed in historical perspective, significantly promoted better understanding. (SK)

Adolescents are under tremendous pressure to conform and sometimes lack bonds with adults beyond their own immediate family. A weekend retreat with adolescent girls and senior women shows the power of intergenerational storytelling as a way to help children learn from their elders' experiences. (GCP)

Section I of this paper notes that, because the mandate of this paper is to explore the potential contributions of older adults to adolescent development, its particular focus will be on elder service initiatives and on the practices and policies required to stimulate intergenerational cooperation. The argument is offered that engaging elders to…

A study was conducted of juvenile offenders serving as volunteers working with frail elderly (some with dementia). Both generations experienced personal benefits from participation. Key characteristics promoting social inclusion were trusting partnerships, inclusive practices, and champions, project supporters who served as a bridge between the…

Meeting the diverse needs of young people who are coping with such problems as delinquent behaviors or poor academic performance is an urgent issue today. This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of introducing intergenerational mentoring activities into educational programs for supporting "at risk" adolescents by highlighting some innovative…

An innovative intergenerational program in Miami-Dade County (Florida) Public Schools trains adolescents to teach senior citizens about fire safety at an adult education center. Kids enjoy their relationships with "second grandparents" while imparting valuable information and translating safety checklists into Spanish. (MLH)

This document is the fourth volume of a six-volume report on sexuality education. The curriculum described here is a revised and expanded version of the curriculum "Parent-Child Sex Education: A Training Module" (Brown, et al., 1978) and is based primarily on the experiences and evaluation of the Family Guidance Center's (FGC) work in St. Joseph,…

Presents two speeches from a library service preconference program. An author discusses her historical fiction for young adults and a Public Service Coordinator at Pekin (Illinois) Public Library focuses on interagency cooperation and her library's first intergenerational program. (AEF)

Community educators in six cities involved youth in documenting ethnic gardening practices with master gardeners. Interviews with 29 educators, 28 participating youth, and 4 gardeners found that youth learned about gardening, developed positive relationships with elders, and enhanced skills. Implementing participatory research required more…

Discusses results of a study of five initiatives which promote intergenerational relationships for at-risk youth. Discusses factors involved in the success of the initiatives, the relation between elder mentors and youths, and implications for policy. (RJC)