Connecting generations – Press Times
GREEN BAY – Starting May 4, UW-Green Bay will launch Generations in Learning, a new program designed to connect older adults and youth through shared educational experiences.
The initiative will feature five half-day workshops for adult-child pairs, offering activities that range from fly fishing and dairy farming to music and craft making.
In the past, UW-Green Bay hosted a similar effort called Grandparents’ University, but that program has been on pause since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Generations in Learning is looking to bring intergenerational learning back with a fresh and accessible approach.
“We wanted to get back to learning between adults and children. [Grandparents’ University] hasn’t been held since the pre-pandemic days. Because of that, we wanted to dip our toe into it and get started in a more approachable manner with half-day activities,” said Heidi Leiterman, program specialist at UW-Green Bay.
Workshops include a fly fishing day at the Brown County
Reforestation Camp on May 4, a dairy farm tour at Pagels Ponderosa on June 25, a storybook-making session on campus July 8 and 9, LED sign creation at the Brown County STEM Innovation Center on August 6 and a musical experience at The Weidner on Aug. 7.
Leiterman shared that this program was inspired by members of UW-Green Bay’s Lifelong Learning Institute.
“It’s a goal of the university to educate anyone who wants to learn,” she said. “Lifelong Learning is comprised entirely of seniors or adults. We recognized in conversation with them that many of them have grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or children they mentor in some capacity. They expressed that it would be fun to do something with the kids, and that’s where this came about.”
The workshops aim to foster not only learning, but also build lifelong relationships and intergenerational connections.
“I hope this will be a relationship-building experience,” said Leiterman. “There’s so much to learn from someone not in your generation—how to relate to each other, share stories, and build bonds. That’s what brings us together more as a community.”
The workshop topics were specifically chosen to reflect a variety of interests and Wisconsin culture, highlighting agriculture, fishing and music.
The goal is to offer “a little something for everyone.”
Partnerships with local organizations have also played a key role in shaping the program.
“We’re very fortunate to have strong relationships through Lifelong Learning and on-campus resources,” Leiterman said. “The people we’re working with—like Pagels Ponderosa and The Weidner—are doing amazing things. It just made sense to bring more people into their space and highlight their work.”
For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu/lifelong-learning-institute/generations-in-learning.
