Intergenerational Connections
The Intergenerational Connections program at Wofford provides opportunities for college students to interact with local older adults.
Each semester we have opportunities for one-time or weekly interactions. The current opportunities are described below and on linked pages. Any questions? Please contact program coordinator, Dr. Bopp at boppkl@wofford.edu
Intergenerational Connection Workshops
Spring 2024: If you are a Wofford student interested in participating, please sign-up here.
Interim (Jan) 2024: “Searching for fountain of youth: Psychology of Successful Aging”
This course will provide Wofford students the opportunity to interact with learners at Wofford’s Lifelong Learning!
“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” – Martin Luther King, Jr
MLK day Workshop (2019):
Monday, January 21st, 2019 10-11am
Archibald Rutledge Apartments: 764 N. Church St
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Intergenerational Connections Program History
Intergenerational Connections Grant
Wofford College, under the direction of Dr. Kara Bopp, received a $12k grant from CIC (Council of Independent Colleges) and the AARP Foundation for 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The grant paid a stipend to 20 student fellows over the 2 years of funding. The students organized and led over 300 workshops that allowed 100 Wofford students and ~200+ low-income older adults to interact at 8 locations in Spartanburg County.
Weekly 1-hour workshops allow younger and older adults to interact through simple conversation, writing or other art forms at community locations for 10 weeks during each of the fall and spring semesters.
At the end of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, the “int-gen” team held an exhibit for all participants that showcased the intergenerational relationships formed and the creative products from both age groups. The personal connections – within and across the age groups – supports the social, cognitive and emotional needs of the older adults while providing a civic engagement opportunity for students.
Dr. Kara Bopp, Associate Professor of Psychology, leads the project with the assistance of Ms. Jessalyn Story, Director of Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL).
- If you are a Wofford student interested in participating in workshops, see list of locations and times and then sign-up to attend a workshop (GoogleDoc sign-up sheet). The opportunity is open to any student group searching for community outreach/volunteer/service opportunity. If you have any questions please contact Dr. Bopp.
- If you are a community member interested in starting workshops at your location, please contact Dr. Bopp.
To learn more, feel free to read the full 2017-18 CIC-AARP grant proposal here. And renewal for 2018-19 here. And see all media releases here.
A HUGE thank you goes to all of the previous Int-gen Student Fellows!
Contact information:
Dr. Kara Bopp: boppkl@wofford.edu or 864-597-4645
Ms. Jessalyn Story: storyjw@wofford.edu or 864-597-4403
Go To:
2017-18 Fellows
2018-19 Fellows
2018-19 Workshop location information
Inter-gen connections Exhibit
Student Fellow information and application for 2018-19
Inter-gen connections in the media