Dunn County, Wis – Dunn County 4-H strives to provide its youth with ways to bridge communication gaps especially with older generations. So when Kathy Asper of Menomonie approached Dunn County 4-H Educator, Zachary Rozmiarek with a multigenerational program idea that would give 4-H youth the chance to interview residents at the Neighbors of Dunn County to learn their stories, he was intrigued.

“When an interesting idea for a program comes along that not only fosters connections and communication but also provides opportunities to develop mutual respect between different age groups, we are all in,” said Rozmiarek.

According to Asper, she learned about this cross-generational project at a story-telling conference where a 4th grade teacher was the guest speaker.

“It was touching to hear how many of the friendships that developed between the students and their storytelling partners continued many years after the project ended,” said Asper. “The thought of developing a similar project has fascinated me ever since, so I’m looking forward to sharing it in Dunn County with our amazing 4-H staff.”

The Generation Celebration program is a five-session hybrid series with three sessions in person and two that are virtual.

Prior to interviewing the residents, there will be two sessions for youth led by Asper, a recently retired public health educator, where they will learn interviewing techniques and come up with the questions that they think are interesting to ask the residents. This will help increase the likelihood of a stronger intergenerational connection. And by having the residents talk about themselves and memories they think are important with their youth friend, it will give them a chance to become a mentor.

Once interviews have been conducted, there will be a virtual workshop where the youth will share what they learned during the interviews and hear about public speaking skills so they can best tell the residents’ stories. They will share them during a Generation Celebration Day at Neighbors on April 28 where the youth, residents and families will gather.

According to Alyssa Stelter, Neighbors Life Enhancement Mentor/Volunteer Coordinator, intergenerational programming is a great way to bring together older and younger generations that may not happen in day-to-day life.

Stelter said, “There are so many things that both the kids and the older adults can learn from each other. The Generation Celebration will provide a way for that learning to happen in a fun way. There is always so much joy when kids visit our residents.”

Stelter is hoping that the project will open a door for the kids to meet a new friend and potentially for them to continue to visit and volunteer after the program is over.  She continued, “This project is a great opportunity to have the kids and residents make meaningful connections while also building life skills like interviewing, writing, and communicating with those from different ages and backgrounds.”

Dunn County 4-H is opening up this program to the community, so any youth in grades 3-12 may join in. To register go to: https://go.wisc.edu/generationcelebration.

Registration for the program closes on April 6th with the first workshop on April  the Dunn County Government Center.

Session Meeting Dates and Times
• Saturday April 11, 10am-Noon: in person
• Thursday, April 16, 6:30-7:30pm: virtual
• Saturday, April 18, 10am-Noon: in person
• Thursday, April 23, 6:30-7:30pm: virtual
• Tuesday, April 28, 5:00-7:30pm: in person presentations and meal

Contact: Zachary Rozmiarek, [email protected], 715-232-1636

Source: News Release