The 21 civic leaders taking part in CoGenerate’s Voices fellowship are a diverse group. They range in age from 15 to 81, and each focuses on a different aspect of civic work. But they’re all well-versed in the ins and outs of effective intergenerational collaboration....
https://youtu.be/DMmhqffPUWc As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are the most age-diverse society in human history — and the most age-segregated. Our next chapter will depend on our ability to work across generations.In commemoration of the United...
On a Sunday evening in mid-May, two chefs collaborated on “The Future of the Creamery,” a five-course tasting event at Long Count, an all-vegan wine bar and restaurant in New York City’s East Village. Forty years apart in age, both chefs have towering reputations —...
Simple question: Do you miss human connection when you use self-checkout at the grocery store? Complex question: How is cogeneration threatened by AI, profit-driven “efficiencies,” and automation — and what can we do about it? Allison Pugh, author of the book The Last...
Why do you do the civic or community work that you do?
I want us to all feel valued as we get older. We are all aging and we should never be cast aside or limited in our opportunities to be connected to one another because we are getting older. As a gerontologist, I use my personal and professional platforms to share how participating in intergenerational programs and developing deep friendships with older adults inspired my decision to study aging and reframe aging more positively.
How is cogeneration helping (or how will it help) you succeed?
Cogeneration is a win-win way for older adults to stay connected to others, give back, and model how aging can be a positive experience. It also helps younger people recognize and appreciate that older adults matter. Younger people then age with more positive expectations of their own aging experiences, which helps them age better – and the cycle continues until we are all valued no matter our age.
Got one tip to help other civic leaders collaborate more effectively with older or younger people?
Start small – include one another in conversations and connect over something that has nothing to do with your age. Just being in community with one another shows the other person they are valued and opens the door to collaboration. For example, when the pandemic started, I created an intergenerational phone chain to connect gerontology students with older adults in the community. The person I was matched with worked at USC where I was attending graduate school, so we bonded over that, and have stayed friends since. Four years after we first connected, we got to meet in person and have invited one another to participate in volunteer opportunities together.
What’s something giving you joy or hope right now?
A lot of people who are living longer are modeling how to stay engaged and push back against the status quo that aging means only decline. I recently connected with someone who is using graphic arts to help people of all ages express age pride and demonstrate what ageism gets wrong. My grandpa and I participated in her graphic arts workshop, which gave us a creative space to have an intergenerational exchange about reimagining aging that we might not otherwise have had.