Benefits to Seniors:

Improved life satisfaction
Enhanced self esteem
Ongoing skills development
Feelings of continued usefulness and connectedness in the
    community
A chance to meet other caring and talented seniors
A chance for meaningful connection with children and youth

Benefits to Children and Youth:

The development of healthy attitudes towards aging
Educational enrichment
Improved self-esteem
A strengthened sense of community and social responsibility
The promotion of culture, heritage and history

Intergenerational Programs Serve to Build Stronger Communities:

Promoting healthy attitudes towards aging as children and
    youth are exposed to an image of aging that is healthy and
    active
Linking cultures as well as generations and thereby fostering
    positive attitudes and positive regard for people of diverse
    cultures
Fighting violence, crime, abuse and the dysfunctional
    behaviour that may be prominent in today's society.
Mobilizes and utilizes the strengths and talents of all ages to
    meet the needs of the community

Benefits to Community Partners:

Intergenerational contact contributes to health and well being
    of participants and the community as a whole
Participate in the refinement of intergenerational service
    models to bette respond to the issues affecting seniors,
    youth and children
Ability to influence the approaches to developing tools and
    knowledge that address needs and issues through
    collaborative intergenerational activities
Access TIGP resources: e.g. volunteer training, our
    intergenerational service models, etc.
Access to services not previously accessed (TIGP
    intergenerational support, schools and other community
    agencies/organizations/ institutions.)

Long-Term Benefits for TIGP Community Partners:

Sharing of findings from research that identifies issues and
    needs of children, youth and seniors within a diverse
    community
Support from TIGP in appropriate areas identified as needed
Knowledge base of intergenerational programs and activities
TIGP is committed to work with partnering agencies to seek
    further funding for successful programs
Create a mechanism within the community that continues to
    inform and influence program intergenerational program
    design and delivery
Long-term relationships will be established among existing
    and potential partners who are involved in intergenerational
    program design and delivery to continue to respond to
    emerging needs

TIGP in its intergenerational programs and activities have demonstrated that collaborative partnership models can identify and specifically address issues to improve the quality of life of participants. Programs and activities gain a life of their own, their momentum creating ‘spin-off’ initiatives over time as relationships are built and needs emerge and change.

Needs and demographics of the senior population is changing and evolving. Seniors living in poverty, low and diverse literacy levels, isolation, health and social needs and abuse within an aging and increasingly multi-cultural population are some of the main issues cited in current Statistics Canada information.

Core determinants that validate the need and demand for intergenerational services continue to be the need for social contact and activation for isolated seniors as well the need and value of senior volunteers in the lives of children and youth who normally would not have this contact. It is our experience and it is widely documented that intergenerational contact contributes to:

Both the individual and the community’s health and well being.
    Increases the mutual understanding, acceptance and support
    for each generation.

Improve the safety and security of neighbourhoods.

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We believe these facts hold true for many seniors including those from a diverse background; however, the issues become more complex for those multi-cultural/multi-lingual seniors because of access, language and literacy issues.

Statistics Canada’s socio-economic analysis of Health and Literacy Among Children Report demonstrates that the socio-economic environment remains an important determinant of health and that variables such as income and literacy continue to have a direct and indirect effect on people’s health status. There is a relationship linking literacy and populations with high risk among senior citizens. This relationship tends to occur for all ages and both sexes.

The National Council on Aging in its "Seniors Independence: Whose Responsible", believes that government, individual families and groups in the community can collaborate to maintain seniors’ independence and autonomy and that within a supportive and complementary partnership, each can play a significant role.

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