These 15 innovators, ranging in age from 28 to 84, are bridging generational divides while also fighting for racial justice, empowering immigrant communities, healing trauma, creating affordable housing, reducing ageism and loneliness, preparing young people to lead, and so much more.
What if, instead of being pulled apart by one crisis after another, we pulled together to seek solutions, build bridges across divides, and find deeper connection in the process?
Meet our second cohort of Gen2Gen Innovation Fellows — 15 leaders who dare to imagine new ways to come together for the greater good.
All are bringing older and younger generations together to co-create, or co-generate, solutions.
All are fighting for justice, equity and a better world, while working in creative, new ways to reduce isolation and polarization.
All are lifting up underrepresented voices. And many are harnessing the power of art — dance, music, film, writing, storytelling and traditional fabric arts — to create connection and joy.
We hope you see the urgency and creativity of their work — and are as inspired by them as we are.
And now, the 2021 Gen2Gen Innovation Fellows:
Carrie Buck, Executive Director, Homeless Intervention Services of Orange County
Matching aging homeowners with college students in need of affordable housing for mutual benefit
Cristina Rodriguez, President & Co-founder, Mind&Melody, Inc
Creating transformative music experiences between young people and older people with Alzheimer’s
Cynthia Barnett, CEO & Founder, STEAM Village, Amazing Girls Science
Harnessing the power of older mentors to help girls complete science fair projects and ignite their interest in science and technology
Daniel Pryfogle, Co-founder and CEO, Sympara
Bringing young and old leaders together to repurpose religious space for the common good
Deborah Tien, Co-founder, Block Steward Academy
Strengthening the social fabric and rebuilding intergenerational trust, one neighborhood at a time
Emmanuel George, Historian, Black Orchid Foundation
Blending historical preservation with the arts to bridge generational divides
Fernande Raine, CEO, got history
Changing how history is taught to prepare young people as changemakers
Grace Hampton, Co-founder, Weaving Wisdom
Enriching relationships between generations and cultures through traditional fabric arts
Jason Nguyen, Co-founder, VìTÂM
Using intergenerational dialogue to heal collective trauma in Vietnamese communities
Joseph Bubman, Executive Director, Urban Rural Action
Sparking collaboration across generations to strengthen democracy, promote justice and advance peace
Katherine Kim, Senior Editor, Koreatown Youth and Community Center
Empowering immigrant communities through intergenerational storytelling
Liv Schaffer, Director, Dance Generators, University of San Francisco
Using collaborative dance making and sharing as a vehicle for social change
Maurya Cockrell, Founder, Leaves Speak Healthcare
Reducing ageist behavior and speech through the training of young healthcare providers
Samantha Derrick, Program Director, Plant Futures Initiative
Educating and activating the next generation of ethically conscious entrepreneurs working to build a healthy, just and plant-centered food system
Sandra Harris, State President, AARP Massachusetts; Founder and Co-Chair, The Massachusetts Taskforce to End Loneliness and Build Community
Developing a statewide, intergenerational approach to combating social isolation and loneliness
Eunice Lin Nichols and Janet Oh lead Encore.org’s innovation work.
Sign up for our email today to hear more about these innovators and their work, plus details about a Nov. 10 webinar in our Innovation Series on the future of co-generational work.