Watch This: These 15 Innovators are Bridging Generational Divides to Solve Our Biggest Problems

By Janet Oh | Jun 28, 2022

These 15 Gen2Gen Innovation Fellows are practical visionaries with ambitious initiatives to bridge generational divides.

Over the course of the nine-month fellowship, each created a three-minute video that explains how they’re bringing younger and older people together to solve critical problems from affordable housing to social isolation to racial injustice.

If you’re looking for ideas, inspiration or the best way to make three minutes as compelling as they can be, check out the videos below.

Carrie Buck, Executive Director, Homeless Intervention Services of Orange County Matching aging homeowners with college students in need of affordable housing for mutual benefit

Cristina Rodriguez, President & Co-founder, Mind&Melody, IncCreating transformative music experiences between young people and older people with Alzheimer’s

Cynthia Barnett, CEO & Founder, Intergenerational STEM Events, Amazing Girls ScienceThree generations of grandmothers, mothers and daughters working together on hands-on engineering experiences. Strengthening bonds, encouraging shared listening and creative expression while building a love of science in three generations at once.

Daniel Pryfogle, Co-founder and CEO, SymparaBringing young and old leaders together to repurpose religious space for the common good

Deborah Tien, Co-founder, Common AgencyStrengthening the social fabric and rebuilding intergenerational trust, one neighborhood at a time

Emmanuel George, Historian, Black Orchid FoundationBlending historical preservation with the arts to bridge generational divides

Fernande Raine, CEO, The History Co:Lab/UntextbookedChanging how history is taught to prepare young people as changemakers

Grace Hampton, Co-founder, Weaving WisdomEnriching relationships between generations and cultures through traditional fabric arts

Jason Nguyen, Co-founder, VìTÂMUsing intergenerational dialogue to heal collective trauma in Vietnamese communities

Joseph Bubman, Executive Director, Urban Rural ActionSparking collaboration across generations to strengthen democracy, promote justice and advance peace

Katherine Kim, Program Director, Koreatown Storytelling ProgramEmpowering immigrant communities through intergenerational storytelling

Liv Schaffer, Director, Dance Generators, University of San FranciscoUsing collaborative dance making and sharing as a vehicle for social change

Maurya Cockrell, Founder, Leaves Speak HealthcareReducing ageist behavior and speech through the training of young healthcare providers

Samantha Derrick, Founder & Executive Director, Plant Futures InitiativeEducating and activating the next generation of ethically conscious entrepreneurs working to build a healthy, just and plant-centered food system

Sandra Harris, State President, AARP Massachusetts; Founder and Co-Chair, The Massachusetts Taskforce to End Loneliness and Build CommunityDeveloping a statewide, intergenerational approach to combating social isolation and loneliness

All videos produced by Anjali Daryanani.