UCLA
Age-Friendly University

Principle 4

To promote intergenerational learning to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages.

1. Bruin Club/ Community Partnerships

  • Brings together UCLA undergrad and graduate students and children (TK–5th grade) through collaborative activities like creative arts, gardening, storytelling, filmmaking, and games—all facilitated in a play‑based learning environment.
  • Projects off and on campus to serve specific needs of the community. Projects focus on a specific issue/field and serve a targeted audience.
  • Offers genuine intergenerational exchange: college students support children’s learning while children contribute curiosity and peer interaction.

2. Project Brainstorm (Brain Research Institute)

  • A student‑run outreach group that brings UCLA students into local K‑12 classrooms to teach neuroscience through hands‑on experiments K12 Outreach
  • Though oriented toward younger learners, it fosters intergenerational interaction between university-age facilitators and school-age children.

3. PEERS® Social Skills Program (Semel Institute)

  • Though not explicitly intergenerational, it supports young adults (18–35) who improve social and relational skills—with involvement from coaches, caregivers, and often older mentors providing support Semel Institute
  • It could be adapted into intergenerational formats by including elders as coaches or participants.

Nearby Community-Based Learning Settings:

4. CityLAB Intergenerational Neighborhood Work

  • The organization’s work in Westlake/Golden Age Park focused on inclusive public space design to benefit both youth and older adults; they also engage youth in participatory action research
  • Allows for shared experiential activities across generations in community settings.

5. Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) – Intergenerational Orchestra

  • Organized through community‑UCLA partnerships, the HOLA Intergenerational Orchestra brings together youth and older musicians in public performances hosted at Golden Age Park
  • Shows how cultural and artistic collaboration can facilitate meaningful multigenerational exchanges.