The program index / What we do
Our work, in practice.
Generations Together brings students and older adults together through shared programs, while organizing service projects, youth-led research, and community partnerships that respond to local needs.
Through these efforts, older adults and students build relationships, essential supplies reach community members, and young people's research reaches audiences beyond the classroom. Explore the initiatives and the work behind them.
01 / Connection Across Ages
More time together.
From technology lessons to handwritten letters and recorded life stories, these programs bring young people and older adults together through shared knowledge and experiences.
Senior Tech Buddies
Generations Together, Next Frontier, and My Wish For My Community bring students and older adults together through hands-on technology education. Building on the established program at Brookdale that has already reached hundreds of seniors, volunteers teach practical skills, from video calling loved ones to navigating unfamiliar devices. These sessions help older adults gain independence in an increasingly digital world.
See the programLetters Across Generations
More than 1,500 handwritten letters have been distributed to older adults through Letters Across Generations. Through independent writing and monthly gatherings, students create personal messages that reach seniors across our partner communities. For recipients, these letters offer something tangible to read, keep, and return to. For students, the project makes caring for another generation possible even when they cannot meet face to face.
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Senior Voices
Senior Voices preserves older adults' personal histories through recorded conversations with younger volunteers. Interviews explore memories, experiences, and perspectives that rarely find their way into formal historical records, capturing the details of ordinary lives in the words of those who lived them. By documenting these stories, the program creates a lasting record of experiences that younger generations can learn from, while giving older adults the opportunity to decide which parts of their lives they want remembered.
See the program02 / Community Care
Care has work to do.
Generations Together works with community partners to organize supply collections, recreation kits, food distribution, and seasonal projects. These initiatives put useful materials and hands-on support into the communities our partners serve.
Hug in a Mug
Generations Together repurposes donated mugs and tumblers into small comfort packages for older adults served by Interfaith Community Services. Filled with useful gifts and handwritten notes, each mug carries practical supplies and a personal message from someone in the community.
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Activity Box Project
Through group assembly sessions, Generations Together prepares recreation kits for community partners. Each finished box gives partner organizations ready-to-use activities they can bring into their programs, making shared recreation easier to offer.
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Community Market
Generations Together supports YWCA community markets with setup, food distribution, assistance for visitors, and cleanup. This work helps community partners distribute food and keep the market organized and welcoming for the people who come through.
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Holiday Lights
In partnership with AllThrive365, Generations Together helps decorate spaces serving older adults for the holiday season. Volunteers hang lights and prepare shared spaces for seasonal celebrations, bringing a familiar holiday tradition into the places where residents gather.
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Christmas Bundles of Joy
Christmas Bundles of Joy brings together donated blankets, socks, toiletries, food, and other essentials for older adults in YWCA-supported communities. Individual contributions and group assembly sessions become holiday gift bags that offer both practical supplies and a personal gesture of care.
See the program03 / Youth Research
Ideas worth sharing.
The Youth Research Collective examines issues affecting older adults and shares its findings beyond the classroom. At a community presentation, students explored transportation challenges in rural Arizona, including limited public transit, isolation, and reliance on family for rides. Their research brings these everyday barriers into public discussion, where older adults' needs can be understood in concrete terms.
See the programPartnered resource
Support beyond
volunteering
Through our partnership with ETAX Insurance, qualifying community members can access free tax preparation once a week. Eligibility requirements apply, and spaces are limited.
Handmade items created and distributed
Total across initiativesHygiene essentials collected
Most recent hygiene driveThere's room for you here.
See something you want to be part of?
Whether you're interested in joining an existing initiative or have an idea for something new, we'd love to work with you. Explore opportunities to get involved or reach out to start a conversation.