Ernie, 80 and Cedar, 13, show off the rocks they decorated with symbols based on their conversation.Last month, I traveled to Chautauqua, a 150-year-old institute in western New York that brings thousands of people together for summer programs focused on lifelong...
As colleagues from different generations (X and millennial), Marci Alboher and Duncan Magidson have been leading talks and workshops sharing their insights about working across generations. As they plan, they often text furiously, sharing ideas and reflections. In...
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...
Why do you do the civic or community work that you do?
I consider doing this work the rent I pay for living in a democracy dedicated to justice and equality. It’s also my responsibility to future generations. President Kennedy inspired me, then in my teens, when he challenged me to focus on what I could do for my country.
How is cogeneration helping (or how will it help) you succeed?
Knowing and collaborating with people younger and older than I am gives me perspectives and insights that are often different from mine. Cogeneration helps me continue my own life of learning and expands my personal capacity to get things done.
Got one tip to help other civic leaders collaborate more effectively with older or younger people?
My tip actually applies to collaborating with all people – even those who are your own age: Listen closely with real curiosity to learn and understand others’ interests, perspectives and experience.
What’s something giving you joy or hope right now?
Collaborating with people older and younger than I am, and making new friendships with some of them, helps me realize I am not alone with my hopes for the future. Each time I do something to strengthen our democracy, I think about how to engage different generations.Â
This past Flag Day, it brought me joy to bring together neighbors, ranging from high schoolers to a dear friend who is 98, to watch and sing along with the First Amendment Concert at Town Hall in New York City.