About Community for All Ages
The Communities for All Ages (CFAA) initiative is housed at the Temple University Center for Intergenerational Learning in Philadelphia (www.templecil.org) . In 1999, after spending 20 years developing a wide variety of intergenerational programs, Dr. Nancy Henkin, Executive Director of the Center, created Communities for All Ages. Having seen a myriad of successful intergenerational projects come and go across the country, she realized that unless these programs are embedded in communities that are committed to the well- being of all age groups and embrace the values of interdependence and reciprocity, they can not be sustained.
With initial support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, she reviewed literature about elder-friendly and child friendly community building efforts and held focus groups with practitioners from the aging, youth and community development fields. Based on her findings, she created the framework for Communities for All Ages -a place-based, asset-based community building approach that brings together residents of all ages, community organizations, and policy makers to address issues of concern to multiple generations, such as family support, housing, transportation, lifelong learning, civic engagement, and health. The CFAA initiative focuses on moving individuals and organizations out of age silos and into powerful collaborations that will result in more coordinated services, expanded social networks, and a physical infrastructure that supports people across the life span.
In 2003, Dr. Henkin partnered with the Arizona Community Foundation to operationalize the CFAA concept. After a series of public awareness workshops, the foundation offered planning grants to communities interested in forming CFAA teams. Nine ethnically and geographically diverse sites across Arizona were each given $10,000 and technical assistance to develop action plans based on an assessment of the needs/ resources of residents of all ages and local organizations. Six of these communities were then given $50,000/year grants for three years to implement a CFAA plan (see WHERE section of this site ). Though sites differ in their approach, they all are intentional about engaging individuals and organizations that represent different age groups in both the assessment/planning and implementation phases of the CFAA process.
In 2006, other CFAA initiatives were developed in New York and Maine. In Westchester County, NY, the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation partnered with the United Way of Westchester and Putnam to support five Communities for All Ages sites (see WHERE section of this site). Two neighborhoods and three communities are currently addressing issues such as housing, transportation, tension between ethnic groups, isolation, lifelong wellness, and education. In Brunswick, Maine the Florence V. Burden Foundation is supporting a CFAA planning effort that is spearheaded by a strong team of key community stakeholders.
In recognition of Communities for All Ages as a viable tool for social change, Dr. Henkin was inducted into the Ashoka Fellowship (www.ashoka.org).
In 2007, Dr. Henkin worked with colleagues from Just Partners and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging to create the Viable Futures Toolkit (www.viablefuturestoolkit.org). This valuable resource is designed to help communities engage in a comprehensive planning process to build sustainable communities for all ages. The Toolkit, funded by the Blue Moon Fund and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is being used by organizations across the country.
The CFAA national office, located at the Temple University Center for Intergenerational Learning, provides technical assistance and training to each community team and links them to potential resources. A CFAA National Network was recently formed to facilitate the sharing of ideas and expertise across sites.