Peter Whitehouse, Cathy Whitehouse, Brooke King, Danny George
Case Western Reserve University and Intergenerational Schools, Cleveland, OH
Intergenerational learning communities celebrate engaged aging, lifelong education, and responsible, spirited citizenship. In an age of economic, political, and ecological uncertainty this form of organizational innovation will become even more critical. In this presentation I will talk about three intergenerational public community schools in Cleveland founded over 15 years ago which have had success in enhancing the learning of children and the cognitive and social health of elders. These efforts are being extended internationally through Intergenerational Schools International Wising-up: designing a course for the future is an innovative, transdisciplinary brain health course being offered through Intergenerational Schools International, CWRU and the University of Toronto. Our collaborative work has included Japan, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, and India. Critical lessons learned from these activities will be shared including the importance of intergenerative and transdisciplinary scholarship as well as the identification of champions of educational innovation. A deeper and broader approach to brain health will be offered.