EngAGE is proud to have been awarded $150,000 by the Eisner Foundation to fund our program, EngAGE Across Generations. This important program improves the quality of life for more than 750 children from grades K-11, and for over 750 low-income seniors, through intergenerational education and mentoring collaborations.
The program pairs seniors living in affordable housing with partner schools and organizations in each neighborhood in 31 sites in Southern California.
Seniors attend on-site classes at each community in the arts and lifelong learning, then apply skills learned to deepen and inform intergenerational programming with the schoolchildren. Classes and intergenerational programs happen on a semester basis and include culminating events at the end of each class/program.
Sample feedback from seniors shows a substantial increase in sense of purpose and belonging in the community at large outside their senior housing buildings, while creating improved learning situations for schoolchildren in those communities through mentoring by older adults in their neighborhood.
Thank you, Eisner Foundation, for your generous support of this program!
Sara Debevec, Program Director, North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony (NoHo SAC) – Sara Debevec is a proficient artist, education arts specialist, and event planner. She holds a degree in Sociology from Goldsmiths College London and a masters in Urban Studies from University College London. Sara has taught theater and performing arts at universities and art centers around the world including University of Pittsburgh, The Roundhouse Center in London, and Lazarski University in Warsaw. In addition to this, Sara has 5 years experience in leadership roles in events planning and marketing for international schools, architecture companies and fundraising platforms. She is also an accomplished and internationally recognized performance artist and writer who thrives from sharing her knowledge and experience with others.
Many older people aren’t interested in receiving “stuff” as gifts. Maybe they’re downsizing, or they’re aware that they have everything they want, or maybe they’re struggling in this difficult economy and would prefer to receive something useful. Elder blogger Ronni Bennett has come up with some suggestions, ranging from consumables, to gifts of your time, to practical items like flashlights, batteries, and stamps. Read more 
