Listen to thisWhat could youthful offenders and the elderly possibly have in common? Not much, you might think. Well, you’d be wrong. Earlier this year. The Wartburg Adult Care Community and the Youth Shelter of Westchester in Mount Vernon, New York, initiated Partners in Time, an intergenerational program that combines these two seemingly disparate groups.
The Wartburg provides a full range of residential options and health-related services for the elderly, including Adult Day Services, which hosts the program. “Last year,” says Adult Day Services Director Donna Sangi-Vallario, “our volunteer office was contacted by the youth shelter to see if it was at all possible for their young men to fulfill some of their required community service hours working with the elderly during the summer months.” Young men who have run afoul of the law are sent to the shelter as an alternative to stricter penalties. It is hoped that a judge will consider their positive educational and community service experiences in the program.
The Partners in Time concept evolved when Ed Meyers, president of The Wartburg Foundation, urged Sangi-Vallario to apply for a one-year grant from the Citibank Employee Community Fund to establish an innovative, intergenerational, and supervised program to benefit two populations that often are marginalized by society. “Adult Day Services was the population we wanted for this specific program and because the students were already doing community service on campus, it was a natural match,” says Sangi-Vallario. The youth shelter selected young men who exhibited the appropriate enthusiasm and demeanor indicating they would benefit from the program. Meanwhile, Denise Weekes, project leader for Partners in Time, selected The Wartburg’s participants, primarily men, to work with the troubled youth. Adult day clients all reside in the community, whether with family or a spouse or alone with home assistance. At a kickoff breakfast it was explained that Partners in Time gives seniors an opportunity to share their knowledge, wisdom, and life experiences with young men who have made mistakes. The program is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in six-week segments. “There is no risk to the seniors,” Sangi-Vallario reassures, “because youth shelter participants are carefully screened and staff members are always present at each session.”
When they first met, both groups were quiet. Weekes had to find a way to open up a dialogue. “It was a bit unexpected,” says Sangi-Vallario. “You would expect the young men to be rambunctious and outgoing, but the reality was quite different.” Weekes found that each group was shy, withdrawn, and guarded with the other. Neither age group knew what was expected of them. So to ease the tension and create a positive, helping atmosphere, Weekes had them all try their hand at quilting. “It’s something to see a six-foot, 19-year-old guy try to master needle and thread,” laughs Sangi-Vallario. But in the end, it was a masterful stroke as both groups connected and began to relate. As the relationships blossomed, so did the communication.
Together, the young men and the seniors work on their autobiographies, as well as arts and crafts projects, and participate in discussion groups, where there is a give-and-take of ideas and experiences. The discussion groups opened up windows and doors for the young men, many of whom had few, if any, positive role models to relate to while growing up. The seniors told them stories of their life experiences, and the young men listened and learned, asking many questions about how the seniors' experiences affected their lives, how they changed negatives to positives, and how they became content within themselves. The young men gained a new respect for the elderly.
They also began to understand the aging process. Many of them didn’t have grandparents in their lives, and these men and women became their grandparents. To illustrate, Sangi-Vallario told of one person at the shelter who had been at The Wartburg since the summer program began, but had to leave the Partners program to tend to his legal problems. “When he came to say “good-bye” to the seniors, the meeting was more emotional than we ever had expected,” she says. “One of the older gentlemen took that opportunity to share some of the difficulties in his life with the young man and offered him encouragement. When he left, that young man left knowing he had made a difference. We hope the experience gives him a positive focus.”
At the end of the program, the young men are invited to participate in a speaker’s bureau. They practice their presentations at The Wartburg so they are prepared when they go to area schools and share with elementary – and high-school students – their stories, experiences, and the lessons they've learned. “Our hope is that hearing how these young men recognize the mistakes they have made will help some youngsters make positive lifestyle choices,” remarks Sangi-Vallario.
Although Partners in Time is a new program, bonds are developing quickly. Some of the young men have related to the adult day clients so well that they volunteer at The Wartburg Adult Day program on weekends. Sangi-Vallario comments, “Their adult day partners are not here on weekends, but these young men have become so sensitive to the needs of the elderly that they want to spend more time with them.” Many of the young men admitted they would not have wanted to help with such things as feeding assistance before their involvement in the program.
As the first Partners in Time session winds down and a new group prepares to meet The Wartburg seniors, some of the outgoing youths have asked if, after completing their time at the shelter, they can return to The Wartburg Adult Day Services. Through Partners in Time, they've discovered that they like older people and enjoy helping them. “We are absolutely interested in having these guys back,” Sangi-Vallario says eagerly.
This feature: Hoban, S. Giving troubled youth a chance. Nursing Homes, May 2005.
