Intergenerational Resources

Websites:

The Administration on Aging, Region VIII - http://www.aoa.gov/regionVIII/cyberig.htm [E]
The Administration on Aging's website entitled Cyberspace Resources for Intergenerational Partnerships includes links to many web sites in the topical areas of Intergenerational Opportunities, Community Partnerships, Education and Training, Volunteer Opportunities, Innovative Projects, Aging Network Resources, Intergenerational Policy, Funding Sources, and Childhood Connections.

ARCADIA - http://www.arcadia.asso.fr/ [F/E]
This not for profit association provides financial and informational aid to seniors in France. It provides contact information about its programming and activities. A good resource for specific projects related to the intergenerational field.

BC Council for Families - http://www.bccf.bc.ca/ [E]
BC Council for Families aims to strengthen, encourage and support families through information, education, research and advocacy. Their website is an informative guide on resource materials that consists of support documents and contact points.

The Generation Connection Society - http://www.genconn.bc.ca/ [E]
The Generation Connection Society (GCS) is a volunteer, non-profit society whose purpose is to develop educational programs and resources which foster positive intergenerational communication, help increase self esteem and promote greater personal and social responsibility. They have produced a series of documentary videos covering a wide range of intergenerational issues, and produce workshops in collaboration with schools, senior centres and other community organizations.

HelpAge International - http://www.helpage.org/ [E]
This site is hosted by an international network dedicated to the betterment of life for older persons. It included resources, contacts and action ideas and is targeted to a wide range of the population.

Intergenerational Programs Resource Collection - http://www.iyi.org/intergen.htm [E]
This site hosts a collection of non-fiction print resources on intergenerational. As suggested on the site, most of these titles should be available at the local library.

Intergenerational Relationships in Feature-Length Films - http://www.gen.umn.edu/faculty_staff/yahnke/aging/intergen.htm [E]
A listing of intergenerational films compiled by Robert E. Yahnke, Professor at General College, University of Minnesota.

LinkAge 2000 - http://library.advanced.org/10120/core.html [E]
LinkAge 2000 is a website created to provide students (ages 12-18) from around the world with the opportunity to interactively learn about aging and older adults. In addition, LinkAge 2000 serves as a resource for teachers and educators who want to incorporate the study of aging into the curriculum.

MAGIC ME - http://www.anchordesigns.com/magicme/ [E]
This website has many informative strategies to cope with intergenerational issues. Integration is the biggest focus of this Baltimore based organization, and the website contains a description of all their initiatives.

National Network for Family Resiliency - Intergenerational Connections - http://www.nnfr.org/igen/home.html [E]
This website includes a listing of websites and links separated by various categories such as arts, family/oral history, volunteering, and legal issues. Informative and in-depth, this site is a good tool for conducting further research on specific topics such as aging, history, children etc.

New Jersey Intergenerational Network - http://www.stockton.edu/~NJIN/ [E]
This site serves as a clearinghouse for information on intergenerational programs, increases public awareness on intergenerational programs, establishes statewide objectives and act as advocate for public policies concerning intergenerational programs. It also serves as point of contact and coordinator with other intergenerational coalitions and advocacy groups in the United States.

United Generations Ontario - http://www.intergenugo.org [E/F]
The new UGO web site is designed to complement the publication "Between Generations" and to expand the base of knowledge and awareness about intergenerational programming in Ontario and other parts of Canada.

University of Pittsburgh - Intergenerational Program Sites - http://www.pitt.edu/~gti/ [E]
This site contains many useful links to other sites that host intergenerational materials. Additionally, this site is also connected to the University of Pittsburgh's Generations Together program and gives an explanation of the program.

Print Resources:

Bring Us The Old People
Stark, Marisa Kantor. CONSORTIUM BOOK SALES, 1998
Ages 18 and up [E; pp 208; ISBN 1566890748]
SOURCE: Chapters Book Store

Maime grew up in a world marked by religious ritual and family ties. She lived through a troubled marriage, survived the Holocaust in a root cellar and started her life over in America. Alternating between memories of the past and feelings of abandonment in the present, Maime re-discovers herself. Marisa Kantor Stark’s Bring Us the Old People is a vivid portrayal of one woman’s life and the cost of survival.

Generation to Generation
O’Connor, Maureen. New York, Cassell Educational Limited, 1993
LEVEL: Teachers [E; pp 111; ISBN#: 0-304-32588-0]
SOURCE: Cassell Educational Limited, 387 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-8810

This book charts the history and successes of dozens of schemes to bring children and young people in close contact with the older generation in UK. It offers help and advice to teachers and others on how to set up schemes of their own.

Old People, Frogs, & Albert
Wilson, Nancy H. & Ramsey, Marcy D. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Incorporated
LEVEL: 9 and up [E; pp ; ISBN 0374356254]
SOURCE: Chapters Book Store

Fourth-grader Albert is afraid of the old people at the nursing home near his school, until he goes to visit Mr. Spear, the elderly man who has helped him with his reading.

Waiting Game
Rubens, Bernice. ABACUS
Ages 18 and up [E; pp 256; ISBN 0349109028]
SOURCE: Chapters Book Store

At the Hollyhocks Old People’s Home, the inhabitants are waiting for ‘the scythe.’ Still, that doesn’t keep them from engaging in other activities. Lady Celia runs a lucrative blackmailing business. Mr. Cross keeps a tally of dead residents on the back of his wardrobe. In the meantime, Mrs. Green seems to be hiding a mysterious past. Then one day, two newcomers arrive to disrupt the routine. Terrible secrets, unusual sexual preferences and dark humour combine for a deliciously wicked effect in The Waiting Game. Bernice Rubens’ tragicomedy will make you gasp and laugh and cry -- all on the same page.

The Year of the Flood
Mendoza, Eduardo. Harvill Press
LEVEL: 16 and up [E; pp 160; ISBN 1860460445]
SOURCE: Chapters Book Store

Sister Consuelo had a perfectly innocent reason for going to call on Augusto Aixela, the rich landowner who lived up the hill from her convent: as Mother Superior, she was in charge of the hospital run by the sisters, and needed funds to start an Old People's Home - social provision in Franco's Spain left a great deal to charity. How a possibly too vigorous squire and an apparently self-possessed Mother Superior became involved in what others might term the baser passions, one sultry summer's afternoon, is the substance of this story. Chance enters the tale in the shape of some bandits who abduct the lady that same night as she is on her way to meet her lover. A misunderstanding between the parties results, which is destined never to be resolved - but neither is the nun's misunderstanding with her religious order. As in all Eduardo Mendoza's novels, so in The Year of the Flood, the touch is light, the humour a gentle undercurrent; but the true meaning and beauty that will strike the reader lie in the delicate description of two mature people who are a mystery.

Video:

A Special Letter
1984, 5 min 15 sec 16-18 [E]
SOURCE: NFB

This gentle tribute, in animated form, celebrates the courage and enduring faith of a mother. The filmmaker resolves her feelings of impatience towards an aged mother while recalling their shared wartime experiences in a concentration camp. Through shimmering sepia images and an evocative musical score, the film shows that the gift of life can be reciprocated as the aging parent becomes the child.

The Bamboo Brush
1979, 26 min. 9-13 [E]
SOURCE: MLC
Code # 391-31-109

A young Canadian boy, guarded by his parents, learns to appreciate some of his cultural heritage from his house-bound Chinese grandfather.

Blackberries in the Dark
1994, 27 min. 9-13 [E]
SOURCE: MLC
Code # 401-31-104

Austin’s yearly visits to his grandparent’s farm is filled with sad memories this time. On this visit, he and his grandmother must cope with his grandpa’s death and forge a relationship of their own. Based on Mavis Juke’s best-selling book. Live action. A Disney Educational Production.

Uncle Boris and my Russian Relatives
1995, 23 min 14-18 [E]
SOURCE: OFL

From Toronto to Brooklyn to Borisov, this is a story of rediscovery - post Iron Curtain and of a family finding each other after being divided by historical persecution.

Charles and François
1988, 15 min 24 sec 16-18 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

A touching story of the friendship between a grandfather and his grandson, this is a film about aging and death. Award-winning animator Co Hoedeman combines 3-D and cut-out animation techniques to create a very dramatic and moving film. The story follows Charles and François through the different stages of their lives. With time, they become closer, common experiences having diminished the difference in age. By the end of the film, time appears to stand still; both are over one hundred years old and they are almost indistinguishable. (Awards: Montréal; Espinho; Varna; Québec.)

Bravery in the Field
1979, 28 min 35 sec 13-19 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

Tommy is a veteran of World War II. He rooms alone, waiting for his pension cheque to arrive, passing the time in the evenings with his cronies in the Legion Hall. Lennie can claim only a third of Tommy's years, but he prowls the same area of town, and, surprisingly enough, they have more in common than either of them realizes. Bravery in the Field portrays the frustrations and hostilities of these two men whose lives lack a sense of place and purpose. The story occurs early in November and leads up to an event that provides one of Tommy's few remaining moments of glory: the annual veterans' Remembrance Day parade. Support material available. (Awards: Toronto; Cork; Oscar nomination, Hollywood.)

The Chairmaker and the Boys
1959, 20 min 03 sec 17-19 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

A story about Ernest Hart, of the Margaree Valley of Cape Breton Island, who for over fifty years served his farming neighbors as carpenter, blacksmith and general handyman. While he makes chairs, his young grandson makes mischief, and Grandpa Hart is forced into yet another role. This film reflects the social and cultural values and beliefs prevalent at the time of production. (Awards:Toronto; Vienna; La Plata; Cannes.)

The Company of Strangers
1990, 100 min 51 sec 13-19 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

A bus breaks down in the wilderness. Eight elderly women, average age 71, are stranded at a deserted farmhouse. The have only their wits, their memories, and eventually some roasted frogs' legs, to sustain them. Through the long days and nights this remarkable group of strangers share their life stories and exchange intimate thoughts; turning the crisis into a magical time of humour and spirit. Featuring non-professional actors and spontaneous dialogue, this memorable film dissolves the barrier between fiction and reality, weaving a heartwarming tale of friendship and courage. (Awards: Vancouver; Halifax; Mannheim; Indianapolis; Calgary; Durban; Banff; Figueira da Foz; Créteil; Montréal; Biarritz; Genie, Toronto.)

Forgotten Warriors
1997, 51 min 15 sec 13-19 [E]
SOURCE: NFB

Although they could not be conscripted, when World War II was declared, thousands of Canadian Aboriginal men and women enlisted and fought alongside their non-Native countrymen. While they fought for freedom for others, ironically the Aboriginal soldiers were not allowed equality in their own country. As a reward for fighting, the Canadian Soldier Veteran's Settlement Act allowed returning soldiers to buy land at a cheap price. However, many of the Aboriginal soldiers were never offered nor told about the land entitlement. Some returned home to find the government had seized parts of their own reserve land to compensate non-Native war veterans. Whole First Nations communities still mourn the loss of the thousands of acres of prime land they were forced to surrender. With narrator Gordon Tootoosis providing an historical overview, Aboriginal veterans poignantly share their unforgettable war memories and their healing process. We join them as they travel back to Europe to perform a sacred circle for friends left behind, but not forgotten, in foreign grave sites. (Awards: Toronto; San Francisco; Yorkton.)

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts
1997, 10 min 00 sec 13-19 [E]
SOURCE: NFB

A film based on historical events, fantasy and stories related to the filmmaker by her grandmother whose privileged position as a royal shirt presser gave her access to the shirts and uniforms of the enemy during World War II and inspired her to organize a special branch of the underground resistance movement: the Oslo shirt guerrilla. (10 min.)

WITH GRANDMA
1999, 9 min 23 sec 4-10 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

A lyrical look at the shared experiences of a young girl visiting with her grandmother. A film without words.

Grandpa
27 mins 4-10 [E]
SOURCE: MNC

Share the special love between Grandpa and his adorable granddaughter in this unforgettable musical experience. It is a children’s operetta. Subjects dealing with death, Families, Imagination, Love, Music.

The Journey
1993, 52 min 12-18 [E]
SOURCE: OFL

Based on the moving portrayal of the extraordinary journey to Japan of 74 year old Billie Sinclair, who is deaf, blind and mute. Transports those possessed of all their senses into a world of touch alone.

The Street
1976, 10 min 12 sec 15-19 [E]
SOURCE: NFB

This award-winning animation film spares no feelings and minces no words. A poignant interpretation of a short story by Montréal author Mordecai Richler, it makes what is sometimes an embarrassingly frank statement about how many families respond to their old and infirm members. In soft simple washes of watercolor and ink, the filmmaker interprets reactions to a dying grandmother, capturing family feelings and distilling them into harsh reality. (Twenty-two awards, including Toronto; Los Angeles; Melbourne; Oscar nomination, Hollywood.)

Ted Baryluk's Grocery
1982, 10 min 19 sec 13-19 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

Ukrainian-Canadian Ted Baryluk's grocery store has been a fixture in Winnipeg's north end for over twenty years. In this photo study, Ted talks about his store, the customers who have come and gone, and the social changes his multicultural neighborhood has seen. But most of all he wonders what will become of his store after he retires. He hopes his daughter, Helen, will take over, but she wants to move away. The film is a wistful rendering of a shopkeeper's relationship with his daughter and a fascinating portrait of a neighborhood and its inhabitants. (Awards: Yorkton; Chicago; Genie, Toronto.)

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
1998, 8 mins 4-10 [E]
SOURCE: MNC

In this gentle, moving story about caring and sharing, a small boy helps an old friend remember, when her memory is not as sharp as it used to be. An excellent video to assist children in learning about aging.

Voices of My Grandmother
1978, 20 min 9-18 [E]
SOURCE: OFL

How ideas, beliefs, and patterns of behaviour were passed on from generation to generation by what is commonly called "oral literature". The story teller played a key role in society. The story of Wah-sa-keh-jak.

George and Rosemary
1987, 8 min 48 min 8-19 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

George and Rosemary is an animated romantic comedy about two golden agers who prove that passion is not exclusively for the young. With humor and empathy, it tells of George Edgecombe's passion for the lady across the street, and what happens when he decides to stop daydreaming and finally meet Rosemary Harris, the object of his affections.

The Old Man and the Child
1986, 51 min 17 min 8-19 [E/F]
SOURCE: NFB

During the hot, slow Manitoba summer of 1935, a unique friendship blossoms between an old man and a child. Eight-year-old Christine has her first brush with the eternal when her beloved grandmother dies. The elderly Mr. Saint-Hilaire is realizing that his own life is drawing to a close. He wants to see Lake Winnipeg one more time and so proposes a day-trip there. Both of them discover some aspect of eternity in the shining waters and sunlit beach.

^{Sponsored by:}