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Generations United and MetLife Foundation are awarding $1,000 jumpstart grants (along with technical assistance) to organizations to develop creative, youth-led intergenerational programs that address challenges in their communities. Priority will be given to programs focusing on technology and/or building stronger, healthier communities. Applications due: May 24. Learn more. 

In April, Generations United Executive Director Donna Butts spoke at Envision 2013: Stories of the Global Health Challenge. Held annually, this forum is a partnership between the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information. One of the central components of Envision is a segment called The Pitch Session, in which innovators and experts in a specific field give audio-visual presentations. Afterward documentary filmmakers ask questions and give feedback with the intention of nurturing partnerships between those with inspiring stories to tell and those who know how to tell them. See Donna's pitch, which begins approximately 2 min. into the video.

The County of San Diego in California understands the value of intergenerational living. The county government just added four new intergenerational coordinators to their staff! San Diego was among one of  five recipients of the MetLife Foundation/Generations United Best Intergenerational Communities Awards in 2012. Think there might be a connection? Congrats to this forward-thinking community.

To help towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. make their communities friendly to an aging population, the MetLife Mature Market Institute has released Creating a Livable Community: Engaging All Generations and Improving Quality of Life. The new publication contains specific solutions for intergenerational living in the areas of housing, transportation, safety, health care, support services, retail services, and social integration. It was produced in conjunction with Generations United. Learn more.

Abuse of prescription drugs remains a huge problem for our youth, resulting in $56 billion per year in productivity loss, health care costs and a strain on the criminal justice system.

 

To help address prescription misuse and mental health in teens, SAMHSA and the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) have created five new teen-friendly webpages of resources to help young people understand, cope and reach out to peers with these issues. Along with the resources, they have launched a Pass it Forward Challenge. Deadline is June 7. Learn more. 

If your organization has a unique program that addresses the needs of Alzheimer caregivers, you could receive $20,000 for your efforts. Through a grant from The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the National Center on Caregiving (part of the Family Caregiver Alliance) will present three such awards. One $20,000 award will be granted in each of three categories: Creative Expression; Diverse/Multicultural Communities; and Policy and Advocacy. Learn more. 

For the last two years, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) has been helping to lead a coalition called Caring Across Generations to create a care system that is good for older adults and their caregivers. Nearly 1 million care consumers, home care workers, and seniors support the effort. Lend your support. Learn more. 

Capital Grants. The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is offering capital grants for qualified organizations that provide services in: Older Adults; Workforce Development; Basic Human Needs and Health; Disabilities, Education, Children, Youth and Families; and General Community Support. Letters of Intent received on a rolling basis. Learn more.

Key Transitions in Postsecondary Education. USA Funds. Seeking proposals for programs that provide educational support services benefiting low- income students, first-generation students, students of color, foster youth, and adult learners in an effort to increase their persistence to complete college. Deadline: May 24. Learn more.

Our colleagues Drs. Joan Lombardi and Mary Catherine Bateson weighed in on the need to support high-quality early education in a new Huffington Post opinion piece, "Uniting Across the Generations to Assure a Strong Start for Children."

 

In an article on the AARP website, writer Sally Abrahms looks at "Improving Transportation Services for Seniors" and describes four successful transportation programs.