Shelby Andress has had an impressive career. The Adjunct Senior Consultant and Facilitator has lead upwards of 500 trainings and planning events, conducted numerous research projects, and co-authored several publications. Yet, for Andress, gathering communities for Generations Together has created many lasting memories.
Generations Together, in one form or another, has been a part of Search Institute’s work for at least 30 years. Despite going through several changes, the same core concept of gathering individuals from many different sectors, ages, and life experiences to create a plan for a better community remains intact. Now, the one-day planning event starts out with a given focus—creating an asset-rich place for kids to grow up—and participants work toward building a precise action plan for their community. According to Andress, “the power of it is that a lot of people are so accustomed to doing planning…but sometimes there is not a focus and there’s not individual and group commitment. That’s what we try to squeeze in.”
One of the unique aspects of Generations Together that has made the program so enduring is the focus on including individuals of all ages in the work. “I will teasingly say that I won’t even come to town if you don’t have five generations in a room” reports Andress. The planning event is designed to include young people starting at age 13 to 14 all the way up to individuals in their 80s and 90s who have had a lifelong commitment to young people. This strategy allows for open, focused discussion between the generations and Andress maintains that “in every case without fail, not only do people get work done, but youth and adults are really listening to one another.” By the end of the experience, Generations Together participants often find themselves saying, “I didn’t know so many adults in this community were willing to listen to young people,” or “I didn’t realize those young people have the same vision for the community that we do.”
Another aspect that makes Generations Together different from other events is the emphasis on youth involvement in the planning process. As Andress explains, “Oftentimes youth are called into a meeting, maybe with one or two young people to represent all, but here we ask that at least a fourth, maybe a third, even half are young people.” This is necessary to the planning process because each generation brings their own unique perspective, skill set, and view of reality. When youth become involved with the process, the energy in the room is entirely different and there is much more honesty in the discussion. Often adults in communities will avoid talking about the pieces of their lives that are hard or hurtful, but the youth are not afraid to approach those subjects.
To illustrate this, Andress tells the story of a community in the Midwest who participated in Generations Together. The town was facing high unemployment following the closing of three major manufacturing plants in three years—feelings of grief, anger, and betrayal were prevalent in the community. One attendee was an eighth grade boy who was sent to the training because, although he was very bright, he had been spending a significant amount of time in detention. During the planning event, while people were talking about the needs of the community and expressing how well things were going, this eighth grader said, “Well, if you ask me, this whole town is going to the dogs.” That single phrase changed the entire conversation at his table. When they were asked to report their discussion to the rest of the group, the individual reporting said, “we have to start with our hurt and our anger if we are going to move ahead.” Due to the participation of one of the youngest members at the event, the community was able to create a better plan for the future.
Finally, what makes Generations Together so meaningful to communities is the use of the Developmental Assets. As Andress explains, “Search Institute has an unusually powerful message with that research base and how easy it is to understand 40 assets.” Anyone can be an asset builder—from mayors and civic leaders to friends and neighbors of young people. Whether an individual leads a public or private life, they can help build assets in the young people they come in contact with. “If you find three of those assets that you can really do well, you know you have a place in the community to help young people thrive,” says Andress.
Generations Together’s focus on creating a community plan for asset building makes it a unique and powerful experience for any community that cares about its youth. As Andress puts it, “There’s such integrity in the whole message—the integrity of the research, the integrity of communities that have found themselves moving from a deficit model to an asset model. That’s what draws people and keeps a lot of them going.”
