Day 2

Breakfast and Opening Remarks

8:00AM-8:45AM

László Kulcsár (Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography and Dept. Head of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, Penn State University) will lead a discussion on "Population aging trends and dynamics in Pennsylvania and why intergenerational practitioners should care."

Workshop Block #2

9:00AM-10:15AM

Community-Led Intergenerational Programming: A Workshop with Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh

Speakers

• Cassandra Masters, Assistant Director, Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh
• Randi Vega, Community Engagement Manager, Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh 
• Grace Vincent, MSW Student, University of Pittsburgh

Conference track

• Environments/Building Livable communities

Description

By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 or older. This is a dramatic demographic shift and an exciting opportunity as we build towards an age-friendly future. Age-friendly communities are good places to grow up and grow old.

There are 600+ communities across the United States and 1,300+ around the world that have been designated Age-Friendly communities by AARP nationally and the World Health Organization globally.

AFGP (Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh) joined the network in 2015. AGFP leads a coalition of over 100 community partners, focused on older adult inclusion through transportation, digital access, housing, workforce development and dementia-focused initiatives, and working together on community projects centered around age-inclusion and intergenerational solidarity.

This session will include small group discussions and a visioning exercise geared toward reimagining communities as spaces for connection across generations.

Connecting Scholarship and Practice to Support Kinship Families in the Commonwealth

Panelists

• Kristina Brant, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Penn State University
• Anita Rogers, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Generations United
• Lucy Johnston-Walsh, Juris Doctor, Assistant Professor of Law, and Director of the Children's Advocacy Clinic and Center, Penn State Dickinson Law

Moderator

• Donna Butts (Executive Director, Generations United)

Conference track

• Support for Kinship Families

Description

In Pennsylvania, over 60,000 children are currently being raised by relatives and "fictive kin" (i.e., kinship that does not involve relations by blood or law) without a biological parent present. Yet the support available to these relative caregivers differs by the community caregivers live in, the level of their involvement with the child welfare system, and even the timing of when they first became primary caregivers. This panel introduces how scholarship can inform both advocacy and practice to not only improve the support provided to relative caregivers but also ensure these supports are distributed more equitably.

First, Anita Rogers will discuss the Grandfamilies of Philadelphia 2020 study, which explores the needs and strengths of kinship care families and their service systems.

Drawing on her experience with the Children's Advocacy Clinic at Penn State Dickinson Law, Lucy Johnston-Walsh will discuss how court involvement can help or occasionally complicate the lives of families interested in providing kinship care for children.

Finally, Kristina Brant will present ethnographic work that demonstrates how relative caregivers' navigation of the legal systems that create and surveil kinship families hinge on the social capital they hold with local legal actors. She will demonstrate how this research informs lessons on the legal system in Penn State Extension's new curriculum for kinship family support groups.

Successful Intergenerational Service-Learning Projects

Speaker

• Patty Aguilera, MFT, D.Ed., Assistant Teaching Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State University

Conference track

• Lifelong Learning

Description

Intergenerational service-learning projects help both individuals and communities develop the skills needed to build a more inclusive, integrated, and sustainable society.

They are designed to help students to acquire technical, practical, and critical knowledge while establishing meaningful relationships with local older adults and contributing to the quality of life in the communities where they live.

Session participants will learn about the objectives, target populations, delivery methods, procedures, and results for various intergenerational service-learning projects that have been implemented at Penn State Harrisburg.

Emphasis will be placed on strategies for helping students and older adult participants to see beyond age-based stereotypes and to value their new friendships.

Participants will receive guidance for replicating any of the intergenerational service learning programs presented.

Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer Strategies for Boosting Human Resource Development and Organizational Productivity

Speaker

• Rosanna Burkey, Ph.D. (ABD), Certified Career Services Provider, Certified Professional in Talent Development, RCB Training & Consulting, LLC

Conference tracks

• Lifelong Learning
• Multigenerational Workforce

Description

Organizations of all types are becoming increasingly concerned about the organization-wide knowledge loss expected to occur with the retirement of a significant percentage of the U.S. labor force in the near future.

This session will highlight some of the lessons learned from a pilot study of an organization which designed its own Knowledge Transfer Program. Approaches for developing strategic intergenerational knowledge transfer initiatives such as work groups to identify and share critical knowledge of experienced, soon-to-retire employees with less-experienced employees, will be presented. This session also will highlight the importance of preventing overall organization-wide knowledge loss due to the large number of retirements expected in the near future.

Workshop Block #3

10:30AM - 11:45AM

Using MAGIC to Create Health Equity: The Village of Hope Model and Social Determinants of Health

Speakers

• Kathy Gillespie, CEO, Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging
• Gary Smith, Lead Development Advisor, The Village of Hope, Inc.
• John Rifkin, Regional VP, Morrison Living

Conference tracks

• Health and Wellness
• Environments: Shared sites, intergenerational placemaking

Description

The Village of Hope, Inc. is an intentional M.A.G.I.C. community model (multi-ability, multi-generational, inclusive, community) where individuals of all ages and abilities are welcomed, appreciated as unique, and important to the overall functioning of the community. This one-of-a-kind community is working to create health equity by addressing key social determinants of health for all and providing specialized support for those living with dementia, older adults who have raised adult disabled children and kinship families. Participants will learn how Village of Hope, Inc. addresses key social determinants of health in its community: 1) accessible, affordable housing, 2) food security, and 3) social supports/access to health care.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in the Pocono-Northeast - Who, What, When Where and How

Speaker

• Howard Grossman, Fund-Raising Director, Pittston Memorial Library (PA)

Conference track

• Support for Kinship Care Families

Description

In the Pocono-Northeast, to meet the needs of GRG (grandparents raising grandchildren) families in this region, the NEPA (Northeast PA) Intergenerational Coalition was established in 2004. The Coalition conducts annual conferences attracting over 200 people (and 40+ resource tables) and provides referrals for GRG families and technical assistance for GRG support groups. We have the support of several state legislators and US Senator Robert P. Casey and have received funding support from various sources including the AllOne Foundation.

This session will highlight processes and results from the Coalition's conferences, technical assistance offered to support groups, and program dissemination efforts.

Navigating Kinship Care Together: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in Supporting Intergenerational Families

Speaker

• Alex Maasdam, Kinship Navigator, PA KinConnector

Conference track

• Support for Kinship Care Families

Description

This session will highlight some of the common challenges intergenerational families face when providing formal and informal kinship care and in navigating some of the inequities of the systems they rely on for support. Participants will also learn about existing support structures established and offered by organizations and professionals in Pennsylvania committed to helping families rise above the challenges to thrive.

An overview of navigator programs, such as Pennsylvania's KinConnector program, will be central to the presentation.

The session will include vignettes of families that have been served as well as tools, tips, and tricks we have learned during our years supporting families as a kinship navigator team.

Beyond learning about the financial, legal, mental health/support groups, childcare, and other tangible resources that kinship care families can access, participants will be invited to share their areas of expertise, connections, and passions in ways that can contribute to building a better, more equitable system of care and support for kinship care families.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging's Shared Housing And Resource Exchange Program

Speakers

• Margo Muchinsky, Aging Services Specialist, Pennsylvania Department of Aging 
• Lisa Yusko, Lead Program Counselor, SHARE Housing Program

Conference tracks

• Health and Wellness
• Environments/ Building livable communities

Description

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging recognized shared housing as a cost-effective housing model and created the SHARE Program to address an insufficient number of affordable housing options, rising property taxes, home, and other housing costs.

SHARE is an intergenerational, shared housing program that provides affordable housing, companionship, and an exchange of resources. Since the program launched in 2017, over 150 individuals have benefited from the program.

SHARE brings together a host (homeowner/renter) who wants to share their home with a home sharer in exchange for rent, help around the house, or a combination of both. Matches often cross generational lines and include a college or high school student and a 60+ year-old home owner. The presenters will provide an overview of the program and discuss the benefits and successes, and share experiences and testimonials of the intergenerational matches.

Grieving Together After a Significant Loss

Speakers

• Evelyn Wald, Ms, M.Div, Program Director, TIDES

Conference tracks

• Lifelong learning
• Health and wellness

Description

When someone we care about dies, everyone is affected. This workshop will offer conversation starters, creative activities, stories, and other ideas to help families process their grief together.

Although there are some expected responses to death, each person's grief journey is their own. This workshop will offer some ways to honor each person's journey and to help families support one another on their grief journeys.

Participants will have an opportunity to engage in some creative activities inclusive of all ages which may provide insights for their grief journeys.

My Intergenerational Journey: From a High School Service-learning Project to an Intergenerational Job Offer, and Everything In-between

Speaker

• Kenna Embree, Independent Living Life Enrichment Coordinator, Vincentian Collaborative System

Conference tracks

• Lifelong learning
• Health and wellness

Description

When Kenna was just 17 years old, her grandmother entered a long-term care facility to receive close care. Kenna spent quite a bit of her time visiting the nursing home and began to take interest in the lives and stories of other residents. This experience led her to create her first intergenerational project titled "Intergenerational Pen Pals; Seniors Friending Seniors."

Kenna subsequently pursued many other intergenerational experiences, most notably choosing to reside in an intergenerational community of seniors and college students while an undergraduate. She is now a freshly graduated Penn State alumna working as the Independent Living Life Enrichment Coordinator with one of the largest non-profit health care and human services organizations in the greater Pittsburgh area.

This workshop will describe Kenna's pathway to a career in the intergenerational field and what she has learned along the way.

Workshop Block #4

1:30PM - 2:45PM

One Community - Many Generations (OCMG) - Moving a Program Pilot to an Educational On-Line Course

Panelists

• John Turack, Executive Director, Smart Growth Partnership PA & Community Development Assistant, Penn State Extension 
• Neal Fogle, Economic and Community Development Educator, Penn State Extension
• Peter Wulfhorst, Economic and Community Development Educator, Penn State Extension
• Linda Falcone, MBA, Extension Educator of Entrepreneurship, Economic and Community Development, Penn State Extension

Conference track

• Environments/Building Livable Communities

Description

Penn State Extension's OCMG ("One Community - Many Generations") initiative was designed to assist communities with citizen engagement as part of a multi-phase intergenerational planning and decision-making process.

This session will describe the rationale, process, and history of the OCMG program, as it moved from a pilot project funded by an AARP "community challenge grant" to an educational on-line course." Participants will learn about OCMG tools and resources - including a DIY guidebook and an interactive community-assessment tool - as well as opportunities for community-centered training and consultation for engaging local stakeholders in an intergenerational strategic planning process.

The OCMG framework provides a four-step process a community can follow to engage citizens of all ages in a data gathering event and an action planning forum. The assessment tool gathers feedback on a variety of indicators aimed at improving livability in a community. Drawing from this data, a summary report is generated which can be used to plan a Community Action Forum. The process includes semi-structured intergenerational conversations focused on identifying issues of common concern and working together to identify priority issues and create action plans for community improvement.

How to Start and Sustain a Grandfamily Support Group in your Community

Speakers

• Deborah Willett, Program Coodinator, Grandfamily Connections of Chester County
• Beth Jester, Founder, Bucks County Grandfailies support group

Conference track

• Support for Kinship Care Families

Description

Grandfamilies, which are prevalent in both Pennsylvania and elsewhere, face unique challenges and have unique needs. This session discusses ways in which support groups can function to help grandfamilies to stabilize and find success in parenting a new generation.

Session participants will learn about effective grandfamily support groups in Chester and Bucks counties and, in the process, learn about nuts and bolts of starting and hosting support groups that meet the needs of grandfamilies.

The presenters will share public information about grandfamilies, expertise in the field, and case studies. Participants will participate in a brief group engagement activity and will receive an information packet relating to the topics discussed.

Beyond Navigation: Kinship Family-Centered Case Management, Programming and Sustainability

Speakers

• Bobbie McBurney-Johnson, M.A., Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, Inc.

Conference track

• Support for Kinship Care Families

Description

Providing support for kinship families today involves more than just navigation to services. To really meet the unique needs of kinship families, support should include family-centered case management, evidence-based programs to address core issues, and a necessary, practical focus on program sustainability.

The workshop will discuss how case management can be done within a kinship navigator model, highlighting the assessment and information systems needed for effective care planning. Beyond initial assessment and care planning, evidence-based programs will be discussed in terms of identification, evaluation and implementation. Finally, financial and practical sustainability options will be presented to assist organizations in developing the funding and community partnerships needed for long-term impact.

Weaving Wisdom: Let's Talk About it! Feedback from the Community

Panelists

• Grace Hampton, Professor Emerita of Art, Art Education and Inegrative Art, Penn State University (Panel Chair)
• Pastor Paul McReynolds, Pastor, Albright-Bethune United Methodist Church
• Jennifer Saunders, Assistant Financial Officer, Penn State Student Affairs
• Jason Adams, Director of Music, Albright-Bethune UMC

Conference tracks

• Arts and culture, cultural values and rituals
• Education (Learning about other cultures)

Description

This session provides a multi-media and interactive panel discussion which describes the outcomes and suggestions made during two evenings of intergenerational and intercultural conversations held around the themes of "Racism Revealed-Then vs. Now" and "Social Justice: We Shall Overcome! But How?" The discussions were evoked by a discussion of the meaning of Kente and Adinkra Cloth from Ghana West Africa, the reading of original poetry by young people, and choral renditions.-all inspired by Adinkra Symbols.

Workshop Block #5

4:30PM - 5:30PM

From Ashes to Intergenerational Community Life Center: How a Community Center Found its Purpose

Speaker

• Kelly Feiler, MSW, Certificate of Gerontology, Founder, Regional Engagement Center, Selinsgrove, PA

Conference track

• Environments/ Building livable communities

Description

The Regional Engagement Center (REC) opened its doors in 2017 as the only Community Center in Selinsgrove with a free after-school Drop-In Program, Summer Camp, and adult exercise classes. Bursting at the seams prior to COVID, the REC began looking for a larger space to have the ability to provide expanded intergenerational programming, thus fulfilling our mission. Fortunately, a large property became available in Selinsgrove, and this got the ball rolling for the Selinsgrove ICLC (Intergenerational Community Life Center) - a potential state of the art shared site facility in central PA. Our vision includes S.T.E.A.M. MakerSpace Modules, a Teaching Greenhouse, Independent Senior Housing, an All-Ability Access Outdoor Recreation Space, and our existing Positive Youth Development Programs.

Recent accomplishments for actualizing our vision include completing a feasibility study of the planned ICLC facility, obtaining preliminary state funding, conducting additional stakeholder and donor surveys, and establishing strategic partnerships with key local and statewide organizations.

Session attendees will learn about intergenerational shared site visioning, planning, negotiating, creating, troubleshooting, and funding.

Growing Greener Schools: Science Teachers as Intergenerational Climate Leaders

Speaker

• Mick Smyer, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Founder, Growing Green, Bucknell University

Conference tracks

• Environments/ Building livable communities
• Lifelong learning

Description

This workshop (and concurrent poster presentation) describes a collaboration between Growing Greener and Strategic Doing. Specifically, we collaborated with the Principal of University Elementary School (UES) in Shreveport, Louisiana, to test the impact of combining Growing Greener's program for elementary school children, Your Climate Journey, and Strategic Doing's discipline of asking four simple questions to move to collective action. We trained two fifth-grade science teachers to use Growing Greener's kids' climate cards with 150 UES fifth grade students. In bi-weekly check-in sessions, we also shared the Strategic Doing approach: What could we do? What should we do? What will we do? And What will we do in the next two weeks?

The teachers reported that the students were very engaged in Your Climate Journey's climate action steps. As a follow-up to the students' individual actions, the teachers pursued two paths: half of the fifth graders organized and ran a recycling program, focusing on reusing the school uniforms that children had outgrown; the other half focused on the local food system and the role that hydroponically-grown micro-nutrients could play in providing a sustainable locally-grown diet.

We will outline the steps of the school collaboration and the key elements of success in adapting to the challenges of an ongoing pandemic and other demands on students and teachers, including the key role of teachers' leadership and insights. We will also discuss the implications of combining Growing Greener's and Strategic Doing's approaches for helping teachers and students chart the next steps on their own climate journeys.

Participants will also have a chance to interact with the Growing Greener cards and other materials.

R.A.P.P. Yourself Around Kinship Engagement

Speakers

• Darlene Sansone, Co-Leader, Food, Families and Health, Relatives as Parents team, Penn State Extension
• Cynthia Pollich, Co-Leader, Food, Families and Health, Family Well-Being, Relatives as Parents team, Penn State Extension
• Jacque Amor-Zitzelberger, Community Educator, Penn State Extension
• Rozalia Horvath, M.A., Extension Education, Food, Families, and Health, Penn State Extension

Conference track

• Support for Kinship Care Families

Description

Members of the Penn State Extension RAPP (Relatives as Parents Program) team will be on hand to ignite a new spark around your work with kinship families. We will provide tips for organizing and supporting weekend "kinship family retreats" for relative caregivers and their children and share stories and lessons from past retreats and plans for future retreats.

We will also discuss our new Lunch and Learn webinar series and provide a sneak peek at our new curriculum for support groups, which will soon be available to help organizations start or enhance existing kinship support groups. Finally, we will show how to access and contribute to Penn State Extension's online database of programs, services, and resources available for kinship care families in Pennsylvania.

We anticipate an interactive session filled with lively networking, discussion, and idea generation!

Using Discussion Groups to Improve Communication Skills and Nutritional Quality of Meals in Intergenerational Families

Speakers

• Fran Alloway, Dietitian and Nutrition Consultant, Penn State Extension 
• Ellen Lee, Undergraduate Student - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (major) and Nutritional Sciences (minor), Penn State University

Conference track

• Health and Wellness

Description

This session provides an overview of the rationale, structure, and activities of FRIDGE, a SNAP-ED approved curriculum, developed by Penn State Extension to help youth and their parents and grandparents to work as partners to achieve their healthy eating goals. The workshop will include examples of hands-on activities that help make family communication about food easier, more fun, and more likely to lead to healthier eating. Participants can download the FRIDGE curriculum, teaching notes, handouts and evaluation tools.

Other intergenerational program models for promoting food awareness, appreciation, and nutrition education will also be shared.

Introducing the PIN (Pennsylvania Intergenerational Network): Setting the Stage

6:00PM - 6:30PM

Speakers

• Matt Kaplan, Professor, Intergenerational Programs and Aging, Penn State University
• Kyle Peck, Co-Founder, Doing Good With Wood

Description

This is a short meeting to introduce PIN (Pennsylvania Intergenerational Network) as a strategy for sustaining and growing intergenerational initiatives that are taking root in Pennsylvania.

Planning and Camaraderie

6:30PM - 8:30 PM

Description

This is a working dinner to share interests and discuss possibilities for creating a Pennsylvania Intergenerational Network that provides meaningful opportunities and benefits for its members.