Across Ages Intergenerational Mentoring
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Program Summary | Four Core Components | Across Ages in Adams County | IMPRINT Program | Evaluation Outcomes | Contact Information
Program Summary
Across Ages is an intergenerational mentoring approach that was implemented in Philadelphia in 1991 as a 5–year demonstration and research project. The program addresses the risk factors of lack of commitment to school, alienation and rebelliousness, and early initiation of problem behaviors. The target population for the project was 52% African American, 9% Asian, 23% Hispanic and 16% White. Students in the demonstration project live in the city’s most economically depressed neighborhoods, with high levels of poverty, substance abuse and drug-related crime, and block of abandoned houses.
The Four Core Components of Across Ages:
- Elders (55+) mentoring youth
- Youth performing community service
- Teachers implementing a classroom-based life skills curriculum
- Activities for parents and family members
Mentoring
The elder/teen mentoring component is the core of the program. Elders are matched with one or two students with whom they spend at least 4 hours each week in one-on-one activities for at least 12 months. Activities include tutoring, assistance with school projects, attending cultural or sporting events, performing community service or just spending time together.
Mentors are carefully recruited, screened and trained before being matched with a child. Project staff provide ongoing support and training to ensure the quality of mentor-youth matches.
Community Service
For the community service component, students visit weekly with elderly residents in nursing homes. These visits are designed to dispel age-related stereotypes among youth as well as enhancing feelings of competence, self-confidence, and social responsibility.
Life Skills
Teacher training consists of preparing teachers to implement the Social Problem-Solving and Substance Abuse Prevention Module of the Positive Youth Development Curriculum. The two modules include 26 lessons, taught at least once a week for about one hour. Topics include stress management, self-esteem, problem-solving, drug and health information, positive social networks and peer resistance skills.
Parent and Family Engagement
The final component of Across Ages is the family component, in which students, their families, and the mentors, participate together in monthly activities designed to foster positive interaction.
What Does Across Ages Look Like in Adams County?
Although originally designed to be based in schools, Across Ages can also be initiated by interested agencies or community groups serving youth and their families. In Adams County, the Across Ages model is being followed in the IMPRINT Program – an afterschool and summer program in both Gettysburg and New Oxford Middle Schools.
IMPRINT Program
The primary objective of IMPRINT is to enrich the bond of our youth with their community and work toward the prevention of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. Other important objectives are to instill positive problem-solving skills and to promote a health self-image in the children IMPRINT serves.
Founded in October 2007, the IMPRINT Program is a service of Adams Hanover Counseling Services, Inc., that serves youth in 6th – 8th grades. The program operates Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. during the school year, and Tuesday through Thursday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. during the months of June, July, and August.
IMPRINT accomplishes Across Ages program goals using the following four components:
- Mentoring/Tutoring: Older adults are recruited from the local community and train to become mentors with IMPRINT youth. Mentors spend time participating in activities with a child both inside and outside of the school for a minimum of two hours each week. Tutors are recruited to work 0ne-on-one with the youth during the after-school program. Tutors provide academic assistance in subjects the youth may be struggling with, as well as helping with homework.
- Community Service: IMPRINT participants take part in on-going service-related activities within the community. Working closely in and for the community provides opportunities for the youth to develop a connection to their community and teaches them about diversity.
- Life Skills Curriculum: Each week, IMPRINT participants focus on learning new skills from the Positive Youth Development Program. The curriculum focuses on providing the youth with skills that can be applied to challenging situations that they may face in everyday life. In addition to the curriculum, the IMPRINT program uses a variety of fun, skill-enhancing activities to address emotional, social, and behavioral issues among youth.
- Free Activities: IMPRINT sponsors free monthly activities for the participants and their families, the mentors, and the tutors. All activities are free of charge and may include: snowboarding, museums visits, trips to local attractions, swimming, or trips to zoos. Monthly activity calendars are mailed to participants homes.
IMPRINT Program Contact Information
For more information about Adams Hanover Counseling Services, Inc.’s IMPRINT Program, please contact Garrett Trout at (717) 632-4900 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or Sarah Connor at (717) 334-6254 x 5190 (Gettysburg IMPRINT Program) or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
How Are Across Ages Outcomes Measured?
A randomized pretest/post-test group design was used to evaluate the demonstration project. The efficiency of mentoring as a prevention strategy was tested by comparing a full treatment group with limited treatment group as well as with a control group. The full treatment group (MPS) received the life skills curriculum, performed 2 hours of community service per week, and spent a minimum of 4 hours per week with a mentor. The limited treatment group (PS) received the life skills curriculum and performed 2 hours of community service. Both groups participated in the family component.
Recent Evaluations of Across Ages Programs Show:
- Youth in both intervention groups (MPS and PS) had fewer days absent from school than control students
- Full-treatment youths (MPS) showed improvement in their attitudes toward the future, school and elders.
- MPS youth demonstrated significant gains in their knowledge and perceived ability to respond appropriately to situations involving drug use.
Across Ages Resources and Contact Information
For more information on training, technical assistance and Across Ages materials, contact:
Andrea S. Taylor, Ph.D
Temple University, Center for Intergenerational Learning
1601 N. Broad Street, USB 206
Philadelphia, PA 19122
TEL:215-204-6970
Fax: (215) 204-6733
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
References
- Taylor, A. and Dryfoos,J. (1999). Creating safe passage: Elder mentors and vulnerable youth. Generations, Vol. 22(4):43-48
- Taylor,A., LoSciuto, L., Fox, M., and Hilbert, S., (1999). The mentoring factor: An evaluation of Across Ages. Intergenerational program research: Understanding what we have created. Family and Youth Series. Haworth Press
- LoSciuto, L., Townsend, T.,Rajala, A., and Taylor, A., (1996) An outcome evaluation of Across Ages: An intergenerational mentoring approach to drug prevention. Journal or Adolescent Research. 11(1):116-129