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Learnings

While it is still early in the development of this initiative, we have already identified a range of valuable early reflections based on anecdotal information and specific community outcomes.

STRATEGIES

Messaging

  • Communties for all Ages idea “makes sense” given an increasing proportion of older and younger populations in many communities, along with a dramatically increased demand for services and supports.  The idea of working together across generations rather than in competition for services seems to have new resonance. 
  • New ideas like Communities for All ages require time to take hold.  It is important to provide the same information in different settings and in different ways over time. 
  • Building knowledge and raising public awareness are necessary steps before norms can be changed.

Building alliances

  • Forming NEW alliances can be difficult and can take time.  Organizations need to be strongly encouraged to go beyond their comfort zone and reach out to new sectors.  Sites need on-going support to help with the challenging work of bringing organizations and residents together to plan the community assessment and implement recommended strategies .
  • Using the term “collaborative agent” rather than “lead agency” for the organization that brings the team together reinforces the importance of shared decision making and increases a sense of ownership in the process. 

Promoting systems change

  • It is important to emphasize the importance of systems level changes (not just programmatic ones), and use an “eyes on the prize” approach to assessment and development of action plans.  This includes encouraging and prioritizing time to identify policy issues that might facilitate or impede the expansion of Communities for All Ages.

Understanding cultural context

  • Talking openly about culture, race and racism in the context of this work is critical to success. It is important to understand a community’s history and the impact that has on current relationships across races and cultures.
  • Communities need to be intentional about creating multi-cultural opportunities as they are about creating opportunities for residents of different ages to interact and connect.
  • Drawing upon the unique strengths and cultural values in communities is a strategy that will enrich this type of initiative. The range of sites involved in Communities for All Ages --from large urban neighborhoods to small, isolated rural towns –suggests that a “cookie cutter” approach is not appropriate.

Including families

  • Including families in the work creates a natural opportunity to bring generations together in communities, as younger and older residents look for common issues and interests.  The concept of la familia in Latino families is naturally intergenerational and aligns well with the Communities for All Ages work.

Fostering Sustainability

  • Blending funding for shared programming/services
  • Infusing intergenerational approaches into funding designated for specific populations
  • Communities for All Ages is a work in progress and continues to evolve differently in every community over time.  Communities can help foster sustainability by remaining flexible and adaptable to the evolution of the work.
  • It is important to help groups think about long term sustainability from the beginning and identify early on other opportunities on which they could potentially build their Communities for All Ages work
  • With the inevitable turn-over of members, it is important to create a system for new members to be consistently brought onto the team and trained by current members.

 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE/COACHING/TRAINING

  • Developing concrete tools that help communities move step by step through a change process while holding up the big picture/ vision can make the process itself seem less overwhelming and more feasible.
  • Creating opportunities for peer learning – particularly from more experienced communities to new ones– is a valuable way of deepening learning for new sites, developing leadership for experienced sites and allowing all sites to understand how the work of their team fits into the context of a national movement.
  • Providing additional facilitative support when possible to sites during the beginning of the process helps build relationships, clear processes and a governence structure  for the core team.  

EVALUATION 

  • The community level theory of change for the initiative which identifies two types of outcomes    (1) improved well-being and quality of life for children, youth, older adults and families, and (2) increased capacity to address issues from a multi-generational perspective) has helped sites understand the overall framework of the initiative and informed their local planning.
  • The development of logic models in each community helped sites clarify their direction and communicate with community partners about goals and strategies.