Curricula designed for youth are often lacking a young person's influence and perspective. In order to provide engaging, "fresh" materials for youth, 4-H professionals can recruit youth as curriculum writers. Youth are given an opportunity to form positive partnerships with adults, produce engaging and creative materials for their peers,…

Describes how to plan and implement intergenerational programs that benefit both students and senior citizens. Seniors can be invited to discuss their hobbies or careers, provide firsthand accounts of historical events in social-studies classes, and work with students on biography or gardening projects. Senior volunteers can also serve as…

This paper discusses the implementation of an intergenerational service-learning (IS-L) project with a mentorship component for graduate students at Western Michigan University's Gerontology Program. Two classes of students, one graduate and one undergraduate, taking introductory gerontology courses were brought together to complete IS-L projects…

Lessons worth noting from existing community-service programs include the importance of reciprocity and benefit to the volunteer; accountability to the community; youth leadership; a multigenerational approach; crossing the color line; and open mindedness. The service movement provides real possibilities for mutual advantage. (SLD)

Implemented in September 1989, the Parents and Children Together project was intended to engage approximately 30 adult basic education (ABE) students in schooling to improve their skills as learners and, at the same time, involve them in the learning activities of their preschool children. A process and product evaluation was carried out on the…

In 1986, the Ability Based on Older Dependable Experience (ABODE) Program was developed at De Anza College to train older adults to serve as a temporary source of child care on an emergency basis. The program was sponsored by Tandem Computers, Incorporated, out of a desire to provide better employee benefits with respect to child care. The program…

This handbook is a description of a Title VII Family Literacy Project implemented through El Paso Community College Literacy Programs in the El Paso, Texas area. The perspective is that literacy education in culturally and linguistically diverse areas must be an evolving, developmental process. The intergenerational Family Initiative for English…

Family literacy programs reflect a recent trend in educational reform that has proven to be a successful educational model for all members of the family unit. Based on the literature that links family involvement to student achievement, these initiatives focus on empowering parents of school children. These programs have been particularly…

This document consists of 12 papers that, together, summarize the key issues underpinning future research and policy development related to intergenerational programs (IPs). "Introduction" (Alan Hatton-Yeo) discusses the project out of which the papers developed. "A General Assessment of IP Initiatives in the Countries…

This booklet examines the definition of the term "empowerment" according to academics and policymakers and the relevance of empowerment to achieving social inclusion at the national and European Union levels. The findings of a study of the theory and practice of empowerment in five Integra projects in Ireland are reviewed and used to…