In Florida, Bridging Generational Divides

High school students in Collier County, Fla., are working to bridge generational divides with older adults, according to U.S. News & World Report . The Visiting Teens club at Barron Collier High School in Naples usually entails 10 to 15 students and an adult chaperone carpooling to The Carlisle Naples retirement community to spend time with residents. Visiting Teens founder Olivia Cederquist says the club was established for students to connect with and learn from senior-age men and women. "We see stigmas between each generation, and I wanted to do something to fix that, to make generations live together and learn of their shared common interests," she notes. Visiting Teens has expanded since its 2018 launch to involve about 70 Barron Collier students and more than 100 students from Gulf Coast High School. Collier County's Community School of Naples, the Village School of Naples, and Seacrest Country Day School are organizing their own Visiting Teens chapters, while a friend of Cederquist's who relocated to Manhattan Beach, Calif., is working to start a group at her school. The Barron Collier club visits seniors about once a month after school or on Saturdays, and Cederquist says students gain wisdom from people older than they who are not their teachers or parents. The Carlisle Naples' Mary Beth Baxter says the student visits are especially helpful for visually- or motion-impaired residents.