May 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 51

Cary volunteers

classes in Feng Shui. She's just all about it and wants everyone to understand it. " And still another Boomer volunteer teaches informally by giving talks about his years of
work for NASA. " Just sharing what they've experienced
can mean more than anything else, " Jameson says.,
Hoskins notes that seminars
relating to healthy aging also
tend to be popular. And when
" It takes dedicated
older volunteers lead those
staff and resources
types of classes, they offer much
more than the reassurance of
to help Boomers
peer support. " It's important to
change the world. "
keep the tone positive. To fo-Peter Thompson, director
cus on, 'here's how to eat nuof The Senior Center in
tritiously,' for example-and
Charlottesville, Virginia
not on, 'here are the bad things
that can happen as you age,' "
Hoskins says. And the Boomer
volunteers she works with understand on an instinctive
level the importance of empowerment when addressing
age-related topics.

Intergenerational Impact
Ask a group of senior center directors how intergenerational mentoring takes place in their communities, and
you will hear many different answers. Sometimes it happens informally, through opportunities for kids and older
adults simply to spend time working in a community garden or playing games. In other instances, children benefit
from structured, school-based programs where adults of
all ages spend time reading with them or providing other
kinds of academic enrichment and support.

48 Parks & Recreation M A Y

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No matter what the context or level of formality, all senior center directors interviewed said their participants
desire opportunities to teach and mentor younger people. In practice, though, intergenerational outreach can
be challenging-particularly in suburban communities
where children and teenagers maintain structured afterschool schedules. Furthermore, kids and parents may
be more comfortable seeing youth serve (rather than be
served by) older community members.
In cities like Los Angeles, where many children are at
risk for gang involvement, the need for mentors and role
models is overwhelming. Even so, says assistant manager Kevin Regan, the kids most vulnerable to gang recruitment will often tune out adults who try to help them. His
colleague, Olu Hawes, observes that those over 50 have
better success than younger adults in reaching the city's
at-risk youth: " The kids listen to the older people. Especially if they've come up in the same neighborhoods and
been through some of the same things. "
And the lessons those mentors teach-whether as
simple as personal hygiene basics or as complex as job
interview skills-can open doors of opportunity for a
community's most vulnerable members.

The Rules of Engagement
Boomers may be eager to volunteer for nonprofits, reach
out across generations, and teach their peers, but they
also want to be engaged in a way that feels personal. " A
bulletin board with volunteer opportunity postings probably isn't going to work well, " says Charlottesville's Peter
Thompson. " It takes dedicated staff and resources to help
Boomers change the world. "

May 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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