Agency Details:

Generations Incorporated engages active older adults in results-driven intergenerational programs that inspire students and improve schools. Generations Incorporated programs take place in public elementary schools and Boys & Girls Clubs within the Boston communities of Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, South End, South Boston and Revere.

Description:
As a Generations Incorporated volunteer you will utilize your life experience in literacy programs that inspire students and improve schools. The focus of these programs is improving children’s literacy. You will make an impact and a difference! And it’s about more than just reading. You will build a strong mentor relationship and both you and the child will grow. You will see verifiable results while also participating in a larger movement, called Experience Corps.

Our Experience Corps Program is focused on intergenerational Literacy & Mentoring and Community Service Learning:

A. Our Reading Coaches program joins trained older adults with children who are reading below grade level in weekly mentoring sessions focused on reading comprehension. In 2007, a rigorous evaluation of the program showed that students in the test group showed greater improvements in reading comprehension than control group students.

B. The Lunchtime Mentoring program pairs caring older adults with 4th or 5th grade students who will benefit from having a trusting mentor. Weekly mentoring sessions focus on literacy and character development while also making learning fun. This program can take place during the school day or in after-school settings.

C. The Classroom Literacy program brings trained older adults into elementary school classrooms. Twice each week, they work with children in small groups to improve literacy skills while reinforcing teacher instruction. This not only provides an extra learning opportunity for children, but also provides a smaller adult:child ratio inside the classroom.

History:
The program began operating in the Boston area in 1991 based on the national "Magic Me" program whereby youth develop relationships with elders in nursing homes. The local organization was incorporated as an independent non-profit. In 1998, the organization severed its ties with the national organization, and using the same principles but also adopting the renowned Reading Coaches model, named the organization Generations Incorporated. It has since grown to assist 2,290 students each week with their literacy skills.

Contact person: Volunteer Recruitment, (phone), (email)

Address:

25 Kingston Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02111 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.generationsinc.org

Directions:

Take the Red or Orange Line to Downtown Crossing and use the Chauncy Street exit. Walk down Summer Street away from Boston Common, go past the CVS, and make a right on Kingston Street. Generations Incorporated is located at 25 Kingston Street on the 4th Floor.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Downtown Crossing - Chauncy exit,   Walk distance (in minutes): 2   Nearest Bus Stop: Silver Line Temple, 4 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com/schedmaps/index.cfm

Last updated on July 1, 2009