Creating Intergenerational Connections: A Multilevel Approach for Enriching Lives and Addressing Vital Community Issues

This article presents an overview of intergenerational programs and practices as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and practice that fosters open communication, support, and civic engagement across generations. Numerous examples of how intergenerational programs and practices harness age diversity to improve the human condition are presented. This includes initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles, reduce social isolation and loneliness, strengthen families, enrich education and lifelong learning, enhance community quality of life, and transmit cherished cultural traditions and values. This article highlights Extension’s longstanding contributions to intergenerational programming, showcasing notable examples across program areas and exploring opportunities for deeper engagement, co-leadership, and innovation in this expanding field. More broadly, this article also explores the evolution of the intergenerational field and shifts in how intergenerational initiatives are defined, understood, and embedded into social networks, organizational structures, and community life. Ultimately, the authors argue for a fuller embrace of a multilevel approach for integrating an intergenerational lens into existing systems and creating social structures that reflect the opportunities presented by an age-diverse society.