During the month of February, Turn It Around (TIA) youth participated in the Aging Adult and Youth Mentor Pilot Program and made their initial phone calls with their senior mentors within the community.
Under the guidance of Meaghan Murray, director of the Charlestown Golden Age Senior Center, TIA youth are developing interpersonal and conversational skills to connect with their mentors in an impactful way. When checking-in with the youth about their calls, many were enthusiastic to share how interesting their mentor is and how good it feels being able to bring joy to their day.
To expand the Aging Adult and Youth Mentor Pilot Program, Turn It Around has applied for additional funding through the Bunker Hill Associates grant process. “Our goal is to connect more youth with older mentors on a bi-weekly basis either by video or audio calls,” read a statement from the Charlestown Coalition. “We hope to collaborate on fun socially-distant projects, play virtual games, and develop a genuine interest in the well-being of one another.”
The young people participating said that the notion one generation cannot understand the other is not necessarily true. They said each generation has much to learn from the other, and they simply need the opportunity to do so. By offering social connection during the programs, they said they hope both groups will help form a greater sense of community.