Civic & Community Engagement

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Civic and Community Engagement » Intergenerational Connections

Why It's Important

Older adults, parents and kids all need stability and meaningful relationships. They all need a safe neighborhood and positive community engagement. Intergenerational activities have sprung up in virtually every community in the United States.

See Data By: Richmond MSA | Virginia | National

How Richmond Is Doing

Content coming.

How Virginia Is Doing

According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, more than 10,000 seniors in Virginia contribute their time and talents in one of three Senior Corps programs. Foster Grandparents serve one-on-one as tutors and mentors to more than 4,300 young people who have special needs. Senior Companions help more than 460 homebound seniors and other adults maintain independence in their own homes. RSVP volunteers conduct safety patrols for local police departments, protect the environment, tutor and mentor youth, respond to natural disasters, and provide other services through more than 1,500 groups across Virginia.(CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE, 2009)

Corporation for National & Community Service
Virginia At-A-Glance


Senior Corps	Projects	Participants
Foster Grandparent Program	5	449
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program	21	9,378
Senior Companion Program	3	225
Senior Corps Total	29	10,052

(CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE, 2009)

How the U.S. Is Doing

Americans over the age of 65 volunteer more time, an average of 96 hours per year, than any other segment of the population and are often the most reliable and committed volunteers. (GENERATIONS UNITED FACT SHEET, 2007)
The estimated dollar value of the volunteer time of older adults through volunteer activities and time spent caring for family members in 2000 was equivalent to 239 billion dollars. (GENERATIONS UNITED FACT SHEET, 2007)
Thirty-five percent of older adults reported working with children and youth as their favorite volunteer activity. (GENERATIONS UNITED FACT SHEET, 2007)

Older adults want an intergenerational experience in the classroom. According to a new ACE & MetLife report focus group members said that they preferred intergenerational learning to age-segregated education. The prevailing attitude among these adults was that both older and younger students can learn from one another; they had no desire to be sequestered in an "educational nursing home." (ACE METLIFE, MAPPING NEW DIRECTIONS, 2008)

According to the AARP's 2008 report, More to Give: Tapping the Talents of the Baby Boomer, Silent, and Greatest Generation: Respondents expressed the most interest in volunteering by mentoring or tutoring young people (40%). (AARP, MORE TO GIVE, 2008)

A Generations United fact sheet, Older Adults as a Resource, 2008 reports:

Americans over the age of 65 volunteer more time, an average of 96 hours per year, than any other segment of the population and are often the most reliable and committed volunteers.
The estimated dollar value of the volunteer time of older adults through volunteer activities and time spent caring for family members in 2000 was equivalent to 239 billion dollars.
Thirty-five percent of older adults reported working with children and youth as their favorite volunteer activity.

On grandparenting and that intergenerational connection, a report by GrandparentMarketing.com demonstrates that when they experience the joy of unconditional love within the grandparent grandchild relationship, adults become more altruistic, philanthropic and service-oriented in their communities. Such is the transformative power of grandparenthood.

Grandparent/Grandchild Activities

In the 2002 Civic Ventures survey, the most frequent response to a question about the type of volunteer activity that respondents most enjoy or consider the most appealing was "working with children and youth" (see Table 3, below).

Most Popular Volunteer Activities Among Seniors