Content area
Full text
A powerful medium.
One of humankind's defining traits is intergenerational interdependence. As newborns, people are utterly dependent on the care and instruction of parents, and thus begins our unspoken social compact with other generations. As children, we expect our parents to care for us and our future, and as adults, we expect to give back, caring for our aging parents and our own children and grandchildren.
Unfortunately, this social compact is strained in the United States today. Geographic mobility, shifting family structures, and changes in the economy and workforce have all contributed to a society in which the generations are highly segregated. This article will demonstrate how the arts can be used to build and strengthen intergenerational bonds.
WHY INTERGENERATIONAL ARTS PROGRAMS?
In past decades, many organizations have developed intergenerational programs that build and strengthen the bonds between old and young. In general, programs fall into three categories: those in which older people serve younger people (for example, tutoring, mentoring, or childcare programs); those in which younger people serve older people (for example, social visits or meal assistance); and those in which older and younger people serve together (for example, raising money for disaster relief or neighborhood beautification).
The Temple University Center for Intergencrarional Education in Philadelphia has documented a wide range of benefits for older and younger participants in intergenerational programs. Older participants, for example, experience enhanced life satisfaction, decreased isolation, fulfillment and a sense of meaning, new and meaningful relationships, and new skills and insights. Younger participants experience increased self-esteem and self-worth, improved behavior, increased involvement in school work, and a sense of historical and personal continuity.
The extent to which an individual intergenerational program will lead to these outcomes depends, to some degree, on the design of the program itself. The Temple University Center for Intergenerational Education notes that participants in programs with high levels of engagement (i.e., longer-term programs that foster direct and ongoing contact) are more likely to form strong bonds than participants in programs with a low level of engagement; participants in these programs are also more likely to experience a change in attitudes toward other age groups, a sense of community, and enhanced self-esteem.
This article will focus on intergenerarional arts programs with a high level of...