The Joy is in the Journey - Shocker Snapshots

We recently wrapped up our fall session with the celebration and presentation of the life story books and banners. I have had the privilege of being involved in this project for six semesters now, and it gets me every time. Students stand up alongside their storyteller, sharing what the experience was like for them. Storytellers stand up alongside their students, sharing how close they have become to their students. These groups? They were complete strangers just a couple of months ago. And these students? Some had very little prior interaction with someone generations older than themselves. Yet in the end, many say they feel like they have adopted grandparents or adopted grandkids. Even the students within the groups themselves—who are often unfamiliar with one another at the start of class—grow a relationship with each other.

The journey is not perfect. It takes extensive time, effort, and commitment from all parties to show up, engage, and then work through the edits that come with the final products. And if you have ever worked with freshmen—or were once a freshman yourself—you might understand that there can be inconsistency in attendance. If you are a busy older adult, you also understand that life happens and you cannot always be present. But you know what? We overcome those challenges, and the end result is beautiful. The end result is recognizing that even though we are of completely different generations, we are not all that different.

As one of our dear storytellers said best:"One of the most interesting elements of our conversations was simply how many times there was a connection, and there's a good distance in age here. When we were talking at times—for example, we retired at the end of 2006, beginning of 2007—they were not born yet. This just blew my mind. But somebody else mentioned the world has to be in pretty good shape and we can be hopeful as oldsters here that these two and their friends and associates are going to be leaders. And with the enthusiasm that they have, they’re caring aspects for others, that really gives us a positive view of what’s to happen."

The stories are worth hearing, and these folks are worthy of being heard. We all are - and that is the beauty behind Connecting Generations.

"Looking back, this experience helped me appreciate how much we can learn from older adults and how valuable it is to listen to their stories and perspectives.”

“This whole process has really opened my eyes and led me to want to befriend more older adults. If they are all as sweet as my storyteller, I think I will be fine, but I used to have such an irrational fear of older adults not liking me or treating me like a subordinate.”

"I found this advice important because it made me realize that aging doesn’t have to be about slowing down, it can still be about learning and growing."