"There are different forms of knowledge that each generation, or each person has."
The Northland Foundation’s AGE to age: bringing generations together initiative has engaged thousands of people, from ages 9 to 99, in 13 northeast Minnesota communities. It provides a pathway to connect local youth, older adults, and the generations-in-between.
The success of AGE to age has given rise to new components, such as the College Intern Program. Students, both traditional and non-traditional, receive paid summer positions in their home communities doing meaningful, intergenerational work. Their summer experiences, like AGE to age itself, vary according to what each community wants and needs.
In Aitkin, college interns helped with a straw bale garden – and harvested new perceptions along the way. In Two Harbors, interns supported community-wide events and celebrations and ran Tech-n-Coffee, where young people teach seniors to better use technology. Fond du Lac Reservation’s AGE to age college interns supported a 4-day Ojibwe Language Camp that drew 400 people.
The AGE to age College Intern Program benefits communities while also educating and inspiring students … the future leaders who will raise up our region in years to come.
“There are different forms of knowledge that each generation, or each person has,” said Hanna Jensen, a college intern who served in her hometown of Aitkin, “and it’s really interesting to see what experiences they can further have, and what experiences they already have, and how they can impact others around them.”
