A new volunteer program aimed at fostering intergenerational bonds between high school and college students and senior living residents is launching this month in Vermont, McNight’s Senior Living reported.
Marissa Birne, associate director of education at the Center for Aging at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said she started the Vermont Youth Leaders in Aging program based on her experiences at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, where she led intergenerational programs with senior living residents and volunteers of all ages as the program manager for youth, arts and volunteer initiatives.
“I saw in these programs with teen volunteers how much these groups came to mean to everyone involved—not just an activity on the calendar and not just a requirement for students, but something both students and residents look forward to,” Birne said. “It provided a source of meaning, purpose, learning, joy and fun.”