What are intergenerational shared sites?
Intergenerational shared sites are programs where children, youth, and older adults receive services at the same site. Both generations interact during regularly scheduled intergenerational activities, as well as through informal encounters. While Generations United uses the term “Intergenerational Shared Site” others refer to these types of pro- grams as co-located facilities, intergenerational care, intergenerational day care, or multigenerational centers. The full definition of intergenerational shared sites is pro- grams in which children and/or youth and older adults participate in ongoing services and/or programming concurrently at the same site (or on the same campus within close proximity), and where participants interact during regularly scheduled, planned intergen- erational activities, as well as through informal encounters.1
Intergenerational shared sites are ideal for building bridges between the generations since:
- more frequent interaction can lead to stronger relationships and better under-standing between the generations
- transportation between the programs is not an issue due to the co-location or close proximity of the programs,
- informal interactions are possible through routine elements such as shared indoor and outdoor spaces, a common entrance for both generations, and ease of movement between the adult programs and children programs, and
- scheduling activities is easier since space is shared, staff are cross-trained, and many sites have an intergenerational coordinator to facilitate activities.
