Looking to create meaningful connections across generations but need some ideas and activities to get you started? We’ve got you covered. Our new Resources page is packed with practical tools, activities, research, case studies, and expert guidance to help you...
https://youtu.be/ILD6lZmz0HE Food doesn’t just nourish us — it connects us. Across cultures, perspectives and generations, preparing and sharing meals is a powerful way to strengthen bonds and keep traditions alive. This holiday season, join CoGenerate for an...
Of all the things that divide us, we see intergenerational connection as the ultimate “short bridge,” in the words of UC Berkeley professor john a. powell. Crossing it brings opportunities to transcend the more difficult divides of race, culture and politics. In the...
We’re partnering with The Eisner Foundation on a new program called Music Across Generations, which explores and celebrates how music brings generations together to bridge divides, create connection, and strengthen communities. This Q&A series shines a light on...
Imagine a world where every child could speak weekly to a kind, caring and engaged older adult who is available to listen to them, and provide friendship and support.
A world where a thriving community of older adults of every nationality come together with one purpose: to make the life of the next generation better.
And the simple fact of being engrossed in another person’s life and caring for their well being improves health outcomes and makes life more joyful.
That is the world we are building at Eldera.
Our current social infrastructure is not set up to support our increased longevity and dropping fertility. The changing demography, with now as many older adults as children 15 and younger, offers unprecedented opportunity to support our young people. That is why we are tackling this challenge by harnessing the social capital of our elders, and using technology to turn their abundant time and wisdom into a new natural resource that helps all generations thrive.
According to Dean Linda Fried of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health: “The power of the social capital of older adults – driven to leave the world better and needing to make a difference – is social capital at scale never before available in history. Further, the lack of social institutions that build connection and cohesion within and across generations has been made painfully visible during the COVID pandemic.”
Our solution, as shown in the Dean’s seminal work on intergenerational connection, directly translates to improved health. Once we learn how to apply this new natural resource at scale, we can assess its impact on offsetting costs, from medical care costs to education and school dropout rates to shared action to mitigate climate change.
I want to grow old in that world. Don’t you?
Sign up to become an Eldera mentor today!
Dana Griffin is the co-founder and CEO of Eldera and a 2020 Gen2Gen Innovation Fellow, an annual Encore.org fellowship that catalyzes and supports the work of 15 practical visionaries of all ages with ambitious initiatives to bridge generational divides. This post originally appeared in Wisdom Well.