Skip to content

Connecting Generations: A Toolkit for Children’s Museums to Engage with Retirement Communities

Project Thesis by Gloria Yates

Children and retired adults are two of the most vulnerable populations that exist in our society. Within museums, these two populations are often served separately, but in recent years there has been a rise in intergenerational programs created to connect them. Children’s museums are in a unique position to act as a conduit bringing these groups together in a meaningful way. The purpose of this project was to develop a toolkit for the Children’s Museum of Skagit County to help guide them in how to create, implement, and evaluate an intergenerational program. While undertaking this project there were a number of published toolkits referenced to determine the most useful models to adapt. The final project contains a summary of best practices surrounding play and art activities for both generations, a step-by-step work plan for the development of the program, and an evaluation plan that will help the museum understand the impact and success of the program. This project aims to inspire museums to think more about the benefits and opportunities of intergenerational programming as a way to support their community across age groups.

Citation

Yates, G. (2020). Connecting Generations: A Toolkit for Children’s Museums to Engage with Retirement Communities. [Unpublished master’s thesis project]. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

Keywords

Project, toolkit, retirement communities, community engagement