Generations United Podcast

Robyn Wind-Tiger is a member of Generations United's GRAND Voices network, which is a select group of grandparents and other relative caregivers from across the country. Our GRAND members serve as strategic partners to inform policies and practices affecting grandfamilies and help reveal family strengths, needs and service gaps. They provide Guidance and feedback on Generations United’s resources and advocacy on behalf of grandfamilies.

In this episode, Robyn discussed with Generations United's Executive Director Donna Butts how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting Native American families, which are often multigenerational. She also talks about the importance of passing down culture, tradition and information to future generations and how racial inequity impacts those efforts.

Donna highlighted a new Generations United resource, American Indian and Alaska Native Grandfamilies: Helping Children Thrive Through Connection to Family and Cultural Identity. It's one of two upcoming Generations United toolkits featuring grandfamilies-related content on the racism, bias and injustice in the juvenile justice system, policing and courts and how it impacts Black and Brown boys, men, their families and those who care about them. Visit gu.org after July 22 to access those resources. 

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For over 40 years, DOROT has been an innovative leader in designing programs that enhance the lives of older adults by helping them build social connections with peers and other generations.

In this episode, DOROT's Executive Director Mark Meridy discusses the organization's origin and shares inspirational stories of generations connecting through their work.

In this episode, Generations United's Executive Director Donna Butts referenced our report with The Eisner Foundation, I Need You, You Need Me: The Young, The Old, and What We Can Achieve Together, which highlights national examples—like DOROT—that are reuniting the generations and making their communities better places to live. 

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The conversation in this episode goes back to the roots of Generations United, which was founded over 30 years ago. The purpose, according to one of our founders Jack Ossofsky, was "to argue for a caring society." Over those three decades, the organization has weathered many attempts to spark intergenerational warfare. Fortunately, they've never taken root.

In this episode, Generations United's former board chair John Rother, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Healthcare, and Evon Yao, a student at the University of Michigan and former vice president of WeListen*, discuss how people can reach across ages and differences to find common ground. 

The resources referenced in this episode are below:

• Out of Many, One: Uniting the Changing Faces of America
• I Need You, You Need Me: The Young, The Old, and What We Can Achieve Together

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* WeListen is a bipartisan student group, working to bridge the political divide through conversations between people with differing political views.

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Across the United States, more than 2.65 million children live in grandfamilies — families in which grandparents, other adult family members or close family friends are raising children – with no parents in the home.  Frequently, these families come together at a moment’s notice. In an instant, the home of the new grandfamily is inadequate for their suddenly expanded household.

A new report from Generations United, A Place to Call Home: Building Affordable Housing for Grandfamilies, found less than one in three eligible grandfamilies receive housing assistance and details the housing challenges these families face.

In this episode, Generations United's longtime Special Advisor and the report's author Ana Beltran is joined by Olivia Chase, a Generations United GRAND Voice Network Member. They discuss our new report and the benefits of affordable housing for grandparents and other relative caregivers raising children. 

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The Eisner Foundation -- started in 1996 by Michael D. Eisner, then-Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and his wife, Jane -- gives an estimated $7 million per year to nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles County. In 2015, The Foundation became the only U.S. funder investing exclusively in intergenerational solutions.

The Eisner Foundation's CEO Trent Stamp discusses the motivation behind The Foundation's funding priorities, what they look for in a site visit, highlights from the Capitol Hill Release of our report, The Best of Both Worlds: A Closer Look at Creating Spaces that Connect Young and Old, and more!

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Twenty years ago, Ebenezer Ridges in Burnsville, MN, offered a skilled nursing facility and an adult day services program. Today, they're an intergenerational shared site with HUD-funded senior housing, an assisted living facility on campus, and a child care center.

They're featured in our recent report with The Eisner Foundation, The Best of Both Worlds: A Closer Look at Spaces That Connect Young and Old.

Erin Hilligan started out there as an intern 25 years ago. She's now vice president of Operations. She tells our listeners why she came back and shares the story of Ebenezer Ridges' transformation to a space that serves young and old together. 

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Grandparents play a critical role in filling the gap as parents struggle to provide the best affordable care for their children. In fact, almost 1 in 4 children under age 5 is cared for on a regular basis by a grandparent. That's according to ZERO TO THREE's new resource, Who's Watching the Kids? The Grand Plan Grandparenting Survey.

In this episode, ZERO TO THREE's Rebecca Parlakian (senior director of Programs) and Kathy Kinsner (senior manager of Parent Resources) discuss additional findings from the survey. They're joined by Althea Sachs, a grandparent in the Los Angeles area, who gives  a first-hand perspective on providing child care for her 5-year-old grandson, Etan, and an 18-month-old granddaughter.

Etan and his mom, Mollie, live with Althea. ZERO TO THREE produced a film or -- what they call "a peek" -- at Grandparent Caregivers. Watch this video to learn more about of Althea, her daughter, and grandson.

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In this episode, Dr. Nancy Henkin, our senior fellow and a pioneer in the intergenerational field, discusses her mentor Maggie Kuhn, intergenerational programming in senior housing, and getting young people interested in careers in aging. 

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In this episode, Dr. Joan Lombardi, a giant in the early education field, discusses the role of community elders being changemakers for children and youth. She also discusses family separation at the border. 

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Our conference co-host Bridge Meadows is changing the world by starting in their neighborhood in Portland, OR. They provide safe, stable and supportive communities for youth in foster care, adoptive parents, and elders. Their Executive Director Dr. Derenda Schubert shares the intergenerational collaboration between the youth who experienced foster care and the community of elders that helped create the community at Bridge Meadows. 

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