Member Path

Generations United Blazes the Path for All Ages

(excerpted from the Spring 2005 issue of Continuance Magazine)

For years, many saw the intergenerational field simply as “nice but not necessary.” Intergenerational programs were not viewed as life saving or as community building. Limited resources on Capitol Hill fueled outside political pressure to try to force Congress to make decisions between services for the young or services for the old. Advocates for children and youth found themselves unwillingly pitted against advocates for the aging in an attempt to ignite intergenerational warfare. To make matters worse many media outlets were using inflammatory ageist labels such as “greedy geezers” and “kids vs. canes” to spark conflict between the generations.

David Liederman of the Child Welfare League of America and Jack Ossofsky of the National Council on Aging believed that the competition between the generations was counter intuitive. The two men foresaw the need for intergenerational programs and policies that would foster understanding, cooperation and interdependence between the generations to improve the lives of individuals and their communities. Only united could the generations thrive. In 1986 Liederman and Ossofsky held a press conference to announce the launch of Generations United (GU). Jack Ossofsky later said, “We formed Generations United to argue for a caring society.”

Over the past two decades respect for the intergenerational field has grown, in large part due to committed, visionary professionals, quality programs, and GU’s national leadership. What began as a loose coalition is now a recognized force of more than 100 national, state, and local organizations representing more than 70 million Americans.

Intergenerational approaches are thriving. State and local initiatives continue to grow around the country, intergenerational studies programs and curriculums are springing up at colleges and universities, and there is even a growing international intergenerational movement organized under the International Consortium for Intergenerational Programmes. Through education, training, and technical assistance, GU encourages intergenerational connections while providing a forum to explore areas of common ground. Our international biennial conference and national awards program provide a unique opportunity for intergenerational professionals to gather in Washington, D.C., attend workshops and build community focused on intergenerational issues and opportunities.

Through our public policy efforts, GU has developed a solid reputation providing a voice of reason on Capitol Hill. Each Congress GU develops a public policy agenda with priorities that we use to educate members of Congress on issues that affect young and old and the advocates working on their behalf. Most recently, we mobilized our members to make sure the American Dream Downpayment Act included intergenerational housing provisions. There was great reason to celebrate when the President signed the act into law in December 2003.

Our goal is to recognize emerging intergenerational issues and help bring those to the forefront. This is most evident in the growth of our work through our National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children. GU staff provides training and technical assistance, build public awareness, and provide a voice for the organizations working to address the issues facing the more than 2.4 million grandparents raising grandchildren in the U.S.

Advocates for children, youth and seniors find themselves in a similar situation as during GU’s inception twenty years ago. Congress is making cuts that are devastating to social services and Social Security is at risk of being dismantled. We are working to inform the current Social Security debate by providing non-partisan and unbiased information about how the program currently benefits America’s children, youth, and families, at our website www.socialsecurity4youth.org. Additionally, GU's i-PATH, located at www.gu.org, will be the on-line intergenerational resource for individuals and professionals alike. The i-PATH is where intergenerational Programs Actions Technologies and How-to intersect.

Working in concert with our members, GU is blazing a path thanks to guidance from our dedicated board of directors comprised of executives from the nations leading child, youth, and senior organizations. In addition to our founding organizations, GU’s board includes AARP, the Children’s Defense Fund, United Way of America, the Points of Light Foundation, Volunteers of America and others. According to John Rother, GU Board Chair and Director of Policy and Strategy at AARP, “There is nothing more important to the future well being of current and future retirees than policies that enable children to grow up to be productive citizens.” We will continue to promote intergenerational approaches to new audiences so they may adapt a mindset that values all generations equally. An intergenerational approach to civic engagement, education, and community building can only strengthen our institutions and societies now and in the future.

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