Intergenerational Exchange Promotes Dialogue and Teaches Empathy

Learning happens best when wisdom flows in both directions. On this particular Tuesday afternoon in the spring, tucked away in a small classroom in the Rochester, New York area, the discussions were flowing freely. These particular exchanges were prompted by the instructor asking each participant to share memories of an instance when they were able to help a person in need.

"I could see that he was having a tough time with this math problem and couldn't figure it out," says one of the students, recalling a situation from the prior school year when he could see a struggling classmate banging his pencil on his desk in frustration. "So I went over and helped them out, and it made me feel good."

A visiting elder then shares a recent experience she also had while helping a peer. "I had a friend who was going through a really tough divorce," she explains. "I hadn't experienced that, but I knew plenty of people who had. So I just sat and listened. I didn't really offer any advice but I was just there for her. Sometimes that is what being a friend is all about."

These types of conversations became much more commonplace throughout the school year, thanks to a new intergenerational program launched at the Harley School in Brighton, New York in September, 2022. W.I.S.E. (Working Together: Student/Senior Intergenerational Exchange) pairs sixth graders from the school with residents from St. John's Meadows – a nearby independent living community.

Because of the significant age gap between participants, the life experiences they each share often end up being vastly different. On the surface, an instance of a student helping a peer with a difficult arithmetic problem would appear to have little to do with an elder providing a listening ear to a friend during a major life change. However, the common denominator that ties these two examples together is what drives this program and helps to create very unique moments of understanding.

The Harley School is known for developing collaborative educational opportunities for students to make their community a better place; including the award winning hospice course that nearly half of the school's senior student population volunteers for every year.

When Sybil Prince — a professional social worker prior to joining the school in January 2018 — could not find an existing program to implement that fostered a mutually beneficial experience for her younger students and older adults, she developed one of her own.

W.I.S.E is the newest offering at the Harley School's Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education. The initiative offers meaningful experiences for students as they collaborate with older adults through dialogue and small projects.

"The idea is to help them (the students) become more aware of what it is like to be an older adult and to feel more comfortable conversing with them," explains Prince, who specialized in geriatrics and grief loss during her time as a practicing case manager. 

"It isn't just students and elders spending time together," says Prince. "The curriculum is designed to help students learn and practice the skills associated with empathy.

As Prince was developing the curriculum for W.I.S.E., she knew she needed a steady source of older adult participants to make the program work. She immediately thought of St. John's Meadows and, more specifically, Chantel Foster — a fellow social worker with whom she had frequently collaborated during her time as a case manager in Rochester.

Foster had recently taken on a new position as Resident Life Director and St. John's Meadows had several intergenerational programs already in place. This seemed like a perfect match. "I had been dreaming about new ways to partner with children in an intergenerational program," explains Foster, who was a believer in the concept from the onset.

Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, groups of St. John's Meadows residents travelled by bus to the Harley School — located just over three miles away. Following a trimester schedule, W.I.S.E. provided three different groups of sixth graders a chance to interact and collaborate with three separate small groups of older adults.

The 10-class sessions were each structured around a specific theme like social awareness, self-management and responsible decision-making. Each class combined group discussions with traditional aspects of theater, storytelling and visual arts. 

Students and elders spent their time conducting interviews, writing letters to each other, playing games and creating meaningful works of art together. According to Foster, this learning environment naturally led to many smiles, laughter, some 'aha' moments and even a few tears.

Research has consistently shown that intergenerational programming greatly benefits older adults living in senior housing communities.  A recent study by LeadingAge and Generations United showed increased feelings of connectedness and purposefulness for older participants in formal intergenerational programs.

The same research indicated that the intended benefits Prince had in mind while imagining the W.I.S.E. program — a greater understanding for students of issues faced by older adults and an overall increase in trust across ages — all significantly improved after the completion of an intergenerational program. 

Prince hopes to someday incorporate a research component to the W.I.S.E. program — perhaps with the help of an academic institution. In the meantime, the answers to short pre- and post-tests help her gauge the impact W.I.S.E. is having on both students and elders and informs her plans for future program adjustments.

Anecdotally, it is clear to see the importance this new program has had in the lives of the older adults from St. John's Meadows. "The comments I hear most is that the program is so rewarding to them, the highlight of their week, and makes them feel young again," says Foster.

The visiting residents have expressed similar sentiments to Prince as well. After every class she rides the elevator down with them from the second floor art loft and leads them towards their bus home. Without fail, the St. John's Meadows residents thank her for including them in W.I.S.E. program, while commenting on how bright and delightful her students are.

"It is a sweet reminder of how different it is to work with elders," says Prince. "I would love for this program to become something that is known at St. John's as something people want to be a part of."