WHAT IS THE AMITY PROGRAM?
The mission of the Amity Program is to increase engagement with older adults through intergenerational interaction and direct programming. The Amity Program currently has five branches. The first branch connects students with older adults through a pen-pal program. The second branch connects students with older adults through a telephone correspondence program. The third branch, our art box program, provides art supplies to older adults in particular those with dementia with a prompt. The fourth branch–our card-making initiative–sends homemade cards to older adults. The fifth branch is Books, Board Games, and Bonding–connecting students with older adults through games.
The Amity Program offers a deeper dimension to the understanding of one young person's perspective. Living in an age-related community has many advantages, but the clear disadvantage is in the lack of interaction with younger people, the future of our country...
Fortunately for me, the Amity Program paired Anna S. and me. Although distance in the pandemic precluded an in-person meeting initially, within a few minutes of our first phone conversation, I sensed that Anna was an exceptional young person. Our phone conversations were lively and interesting. We did meet last summer. I felt as if I were seeing an old friend. Without the Amity Program, I would be missing an important chapter of my life.
- Betty S., 86, Telephone Correspondence Program Participant
