Intergenerational Collaboration in Practice
Three youth-leadership organizations from the CoGenerate Community of Practice share what they’ve learned about cogeneration and how a framework for establishing solid intergenerational collaboration — what we call the “3 Ps” — helped them get there.
Table of Contents
About the Community of Practice
The 3Ps of Cogeneration
Case Studies
- Be Loud
- Citizens University
- Kentucky Student Voice Team
Design Your Own Cogenerational Experiment
About the Community of Practice
In early 2026, CoGenerate brought together more than 70 youth leadership organizations for the pilot of a four-part Community of Practice focused on intergenerational collaboration —what we call cogeneration. Across four sessions, participants explored what it means to move from youth-only spaces to truly cogenerational ones.
Organizations came in at different stages. Some were just beginning to think about intergenerational partnership; others were already experimenting with it. But they shared the belief that young people and older adults working together can go further than either can alone.
This page captures what we learned through the stories of three organizations whose work brought the 3 Ps framework to life.
We thank the Bezos Family Foundation for supporting this work.
The 3Ps of Cogeneration
CoGenerate’s 3 Ps framework identifies three conditions that must be in place for intergenerational collaboration to take root and grow.
Proximity
Who is already in your community?
Partnership
How will roles and power be shared?
Purpose
Why will each generation show up?
Proximity
Who is already in your community?
Purpose
Why will each generation show up?
Partnership
How will roles and power be shared?
Proximity
Who is already in your community?
Youngers and olders are often hidden in plain sight because society is age-segregated. Starting with people already proximate to your work creates a strong foundation for lasting programs. More frequent, longer-term contact consistently leads to more effective community and civic work.
Purpose
Youngers and olders may have different reasons for doing the work, and that’s okay. What matters is understanding each generation’s “why,” naming where they overlap, and being honest about how they differ.
Partnership
This is the most complex P — it involves power sharing, problem solving, and conflict management. Strong programs build intentional, intergenerational structures that prepare olders and youngers to work with each other and promote two-way mentorship.
You need all three.
Proximity without purpose results in the two sides ignoring each other.
Purpose without partnership results in one generation leading and one generation following.
Partnership without proximity lacks sufficient time and trust for genuine collaboration.
When all three Ps operate together, they reinforce each other and strengthen intergenerational connection.
Organizations in Action
Case Studies of the 3Ps
Case Study: Be Loud Studios
New Orleans, LA · Youth radio & storytelling
Be Loud started as a simple classroom assignment in a New Orleans middle school but now operates as a youth radio program in which young people interview community elders and elected leaders. In every conversation, the elders bring their own questions for students, to make sure the conversation flows both ways.
Challenge:
How do you create genuine intergenerational dialogue — not just youth asking questions or elders delivering wisdom?
Do's & Don'ts
Practice connection before expecting it.
Use structured warm-ups — like skill-share speed rounds where everyone teaches and learns — before the “real” conversation starts. Don’t just put generations in a room and hope for the best.
Make adults prepare questions, not just answers.
Requiring adults to arrive with questions for young people shifts the dynamic, creates genuine dialogue, and helps youth feel heard.
Don’t wait for perfect structure before starting.
Organic — even messy — intergenerational moments build real relationships. First get people talking, then find the structure that formalizes what’s already working.
Here are some tips from Alex Owens, founder of Be Loud Studios.
Case Study: Citizen University
National (locally anchored) · Civic power & leadership
Citizen University runs two, separate national networks. The Civic Collaboratory is designed for adult civic leaders, and the Youth Collaboratory is for high schoolers designing community civic projects. They’re now piloting a new model in which teens and adults work together on local civic projects.
Challenge:
Young people in national cohorts often return home energized, but lack the local relationships needed to sustain momentum. How do you connect purpose-driven youth with adults who share their vision in the communities where they live?
Do's & Don'ts
Notice the youngers and olders who are already around you.
Age-segregated systems obscure intergenerational relationships that already exist in your community. Starting with these relationships creates a stronger foundation than recruiting from scratch.
Use storytelling as the entry point.
Invite both generations to share what they care about and why. Remind adults to listen without immediately jumping in with advice. Creating a level playing field helps youth feel genuinely heard and grounds future collaborations.
Don’t skip the “why.”.
Adults and youth may show up with very different motivations. Ask participants to name what’s driving them to be there. Help olders and youngers find the overlap that will help them work collaboratively.
Here are some tips and reflections from Davis Endava, Senior Program Manager at Citizen University
Case Study: Kentucky Student Voice Team
Kentucky, USA · Education advocacy
At this 100+ member organization focused on co-creating more democratically-run schools in Kentucky, young people lead and set the agenda. They partner with adults selectively to bring in specific expertise around topics like 501(c)(3) operations or journalism.
Challenge:
How do you build a youth-led organization without losing the institutional knowledge, legal scaffolding, and relational continuity that adults can provide, especially as youth leadership turns over year after year?
Do's & Don'ts
Name the invisible labor.
Adults often hold institutional knowledge and end up working quietly behind the scenes on things like finances and legal liability. Naming this work helps people feel seen and avoids leaving the group dangerously dependent on one person whose contributions aren’t understood.
Build adult assistance intentionally and pull it back slowly
Start with more adult support, then reduce it over time to help young people participate meaningfully.
Don’t overlook the need for peer-to-peer conversation.
Peer-to-peer relationships can help build trust and make cogeneration easier. But if adults or youth are completely excluded from building relationships with each other, trust can break down when leadership turns over.
Here are some tips from Zoë Jenkins of Kentucky Student Voice Team.