War, what is it good for?
by Jennifer
One of the many things I love about working for Easter Seals is that we truly take an intergenerational approach to our advocacy and services. I have taken many legislators and their staffs to our Easter Seals Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Inter-Generational Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, and have seen their eyes open to the value of older adults and children working and playing side-by-side.
My favorite thing about the center (and one thing I always, always point out) is the chairs. Each full sized easy chair for the older adults has a matching child-sized one right beside it. It is such a nice visual statement about the magic that happens there.
One of my frustrations is that too often the public debate tries to pit generations against one another. You will often hear that older adults are “bankrupting future generations” or that education and children’s services are “draining resources” for needed supports for older adults that are often overlooked. A good example of this is an article in the April issue of Esquire magazine titled “The War Against Youth.
The truth is that we are all stronger when we work together. Generations United is one group that is helping us lead the charge in the effort to end intergenerational conflict in the public arena. I am proud to serve as the co-chair of their Policy Committee. Generations United has posted a response and a call to action in response to the Esquire article and I encourage everyone to read the article and comment.