Stockton Hosts Growing Intergenerational Conference
Stockton Associate Professor of Psychology Kaite Yang, second from right, joined students Makenna Marrella, Claire Steacker and Katelyn Longo, right, to lead a discussion about a pilot intergenerational book club that took place on campus in the spring.
Atlantic City, N.J. — Stockton University is not only an ideal space designed for 18- to 24-year-olds but for older adults as well.
“We can sort of shake up what’s expected on a college campus by creating, inviting and incorporating people of all ages because they want to learn, not because of the age that they are,” said Christine Ferri, the director of the Stockton Center for Successful Aging (SCOSA).
A workshop titled Rhythm & Nature involved a modifiable drumming program designed to promote connection, confidence and self-expression among older adults.
As part of that mission, SCOSA, along with Penn State University, hosted the second biennial Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference at Stockton’s Atlantic City campus from June 3 to 5. The conference invited scholars from across the region to share ideas, research, successes and challenges in building intergenerational connections. Ferri said the event was very well attended with more than 100 invitees registered, more than double the first conference at Penn State.
“We have to change the systems and structure to encourage different generations to interact with each other in different places across society besides just within families and workplaces,” Ferri said. “This conference is an effort for those who study this to come and share their work.”
Stockton Assistant Professor of Social Work Sunny Mathew and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaite Yang led seminars during the conference. Yang’s seminar, titled “Reflections from the Psychology of Race and Racism Book Club,” discussed how Stockton students Claire Steacker, Makenna Marrella and Katelyn Longo participated in a pilot intergenerational book club as part of a class titled “Psychology of Race and Racism.” Students connected with older members of the community through SCOSA.
“SCOSA wants to serve students. We want to be a place the students know about and provide the place for connection to the older adults who come to our events and participate in our research studies. So we all have a place to be together,” Ferri said. “SCOSA has a lot of older adults who participate in our programming, but there are still a lot more in the region who don’t know us. By hosting this event, we’re hoping to capitalize on that.”
-- Story by Mark Melhorn, photos by Susan Allen
