In late October, Autumn Lane Elementary School, 2089 Maiden Lane, Greece, will have a second grade class participating in the Generation Two (G2), Directed Play Program, with the goal of “Connecting Generations, Improving Well-Being.”
G2 is about intergenerational friendships, and making a connection through directed child/adult play. Play enriches the lives of children. Play is preparation for life, and known to be nature’s way of dealing with stress in children, as well as adults. Adult volunteers also finding themselves enriched with a sense of purpose, and as advocates for children’s needs.
The program employs play to enhance a child’s development, they are stimulated to learn and explore. Based on weekly 30 minute sessions, a child meets for uninterrupted play with the same trained adult volunteer. During their time together, the adult stays totally focused on the child, the play is informal, but impactful.
In child-directed play, the child is the decision maker – the one who leads the play by choosing what to play and how to play it. This builds a sense of self-direction and self-confidence in the child. When a caring adult accepts and follows a child’s play choices, relationships strengthen and children thrive. A bond is formed, and that becomes a medium for personal growth.
Dr. Ashley Cross, EdD, Executive Director of G2 Rochester said, “So many different milestones can be met through play. Children want to be heard, to make connections, to be curious. We’ve found that seniors and college students suffer from isolation, and that after volunteering for the program, adult participants also report an increased sense of well being. Volunteers learn from their interactions with children.” G2 works with area colleges including St. John Fisher, RIT, and Nazareth.
The Kiwanis Club of Greece is sponsoring the Autumn Lane School classroom. Kiwanis past president Heather Henderson says G2’s mission is right in line with the Kiwanis’ mission. Henderson said, “Since Kiwanis Club of Greece focuses most of their resources on youth in our local community, as soon as we heard the presentation on June 29, 2021, from Dr. Ashley Cross with Generation Two, and did some more research about the organization, we immediately had a Board discussion. It was approved unanimously to be a financial supporter of the very first G2 classroom within the Greece Central School District at Autumn Lane Elementary. For a classroom of 24 students, $3,500 supports the program for an entire school year.”
“Autumn Lane School was chosen for the pilot program in Greece Schools after consultation with Superintendent of Schools in Greece, Kathleen Graupman. We introduced the play program through a viral play date presentation and it was agreed that it would be great for students in Greece Schools,” said Dr. Cross.
G2 is looking for adult volunteers in Greece. G2 volunteers are retirees, college students, professionals, and many others who choose to become part of the solution to challenges of schools and families in today’s environment. A G2 relationship provides a safe person with whom a child may communicate. Time commitment for volunteering is two hours per week. Volunteers meet once a week, from October through May, to play one-on-one consecutively with three children for 30 minutes each. Afterwards, there is a half hour group discussion with other volunteers and a site coordinator. No special skills are needed. Full training and ongoing support is provided.
If interested in volunteering visit the G2 website’s – Get Involved – page. Generation Two is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. www.g2rochester.org
