Older and younger people don't live in silos, they live in families and neighborhoods. Yet advocates and policy makers divide generations under the guise of guaranteeing services and supports so they can thrive. The resulting age-based segregation decreases social capital and increases competition for resources. Using an intergenerational lens to craft social policy can help us build communities that are good places to grow up and grow old. This session will provide context and touch on innovative solutions that support the premise that we are stronger together.

Speaker: Donna M. Butts, Executive Director, Generations United

Generations United is the national membership organization focused solely on improving the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational strategies, programs and public policies. In 2004, Butts was honored with the National Council on the Aging's Jack Ossofsky award for leadership, creativity and innovation in programs and services for older persons. In 2012 she was named by The Nonprofit Times as one of the Top 50 most powerful and influential nonprofit executives in the nation. She is a respected author and speaker who has been invited by the U.N. to sit on four expert panels on aging policy and intergenerational solidarity.

This is the first of six lectures in the third series of Thursday lectures, "Generations: Bridging the Divide."