Someone recently described the emerging demographic look of America as a barbell—a sizable number of children and a very sizable number of older people. Given these realities, it’s no wonder that many are trying to build intergenerational bonds between seniors and school-age children.
One such example is the new partnership among New York’s Union Settlement Association, the OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program, and AT&T New York to bring intergenerational Tutoring Program to East Harlem’s public schools.
Union Settlement will recruit and train older community members to work one-on-one with children in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The program, made possible through a $55,000 grant from AT&T, strives to bring together different generations in ways that benefit the entire community. It is illustrative of the core mission of Union Settlement, one of New York City’s oldest and largest social service providers. The OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring program has worked successfully for more than 20 years, reaching upwards of 300,000 children in 21 cities.
