Imagine chat you're in a Christian education committee meeting, trying to figure out how to get more adults interested in social issues. Adult classes on those issues always seem to be the least attended, the group laments. Down the hall, the youth committee is struggling to find adults to chaperone the youth service project. The same folks always show up, and they're burned out.

What might happen if both groups took simultaneous stretch breaks and commiserated around the coffee maker? One possibility might be that everyone just gives up on an "apathetic" membership. But then somebody might ask: What if we helped each other out? What if the church's learning needs and service priorities were linked across generations? The adults could experience and learn about social issues "up close and personal." And the young people would not only have chaperones that allow them to do the project, but they also build positive relationships with adult role models in the church.

Intergenerational service - adults and youth serving others side by side - is an important but underutilized possibility for congregations. And integrating that service with intentional reflection and learning - known as service-learning - becomes a powerful strategy not only for addressing social issues, but also for strengthening intergenerational relationships and enriching Christian education for people of all ages. The challenge is to overcome the barriers and to implement practices that make it more likely that your efforts will be successful.

Benefits

Some of the benefits and potential of linking generations through servicelearning is captured in a report by Lorine Matters in Intergenerational Relations: Older Adults and Youth. County Extension Program Guide (University of Missouri, 1990):

• Increased understanding between and among generations. "Youth have an opportunity to see what it's like to be old. Older people gain insights into the lives, value systems, and problems of youth," the report suggests.
• Opportunities for new relationships at a time when seniors may be losing friends and relatives and when young people often have grandparents who live far away.
• Opportunities for the community to mobilize untapped volunteer resources in both generations, members who may be inactive or ignored.

Barriers

Despite the potential benefits, both perceptual and practical barriers get in the way of intergenerational service-learning. There can be many different perceptual barriers, but the most widespread is that of an unbridgeable "generation gap" between teenagers and adults. Conventional wisdom insists that teenagers and adults want nothing to do with each other. Accordingly, churches should design ministries that meet the unique, targeted needs of each generation; adults want to be with adults, kids want to be with kids. There is, of course, a measure of truth to this misperception. Young people do like and need to hang out with peers. So do adults. But research consistently emphasizes that young people want - and need - to be in relationships with many caring, responsible adults. And adults enjoy the freshness, vitality, and energy of teenagers once they overcome the initial awkwardness and discomfort with pierced belly buttons, rap music, and low-riding jeans. (For more information, see Peter C. Scales, Other Peoples Kids: Examining the Social Norms of Adult Engagement with Children and Adolescents, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2003).

In addition to the perceptual barriers to intergenerational service-learning, there are also practical barriers and challenges that need to be addressed. First is the widespread awkwardness of people who have not learned to relate to people in other generations. Then there is the matter of scheduling and matching interests across generations. Yet, as you begin the process of planning together with people from all generations, you'll discover creative strategies for overcoming these challenges, some of which will likely become inconsequential.

Effective Practices

How do you design service-learning experiences that overcome some of the barriers and lead to rich learning and service experiences? Leaders in the field of servicelearning have identified a number of basic principles of service-learning that apply to intergenerational service-learning in churches. These include engaging people in authentic, meaningful service; involving those performing the service in selecting and planning the experience; intentional reflection that links the service to learning objectives; recognizing and celebrating the service; and similar practices. (For more information, see Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Thomas Bright, and Beth Margolis-Rupp, An Asset Builder's Guide to Service-Learning, Search Institute, 2000).

Here are some basic suggestions for getting started:

Teach intergenemtional skills. Because some people spend so little time interacting with other generations, the prospect of doing so can be intimidating. So it's important to provide some information, expectations, and suggestions to make success more likely. For example, Cherie Smith of Kirkwood Baptist Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, tells about her congregation's soup kitchen where adults do not always welcome the young people as coworkers. "They don't say, 'Oh, we're glad you're here,'" Smith explains. "They don't say anything unless the kid makes a mistake . . . They don't mean to be critical. They think they are being helpful. That really tends to discourage the kids from taking initiative."

Smith is working to create a different response: "If [the young people] show up, and the team says: 'Oh, we're so glad you're here. We could really use your help. Jason, could you take this knife and go chop up these carrots?' Then they're valued and . . . nurtured along." (Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Elanah Dalyah Naftali, and Laura Musegades, Growing Up Generous: Engaging Youth in Giving and Serving, Alban Institute, 2000).

Involve all generations in planning and preparation. Getting the people who perform service to others involved in planning and preparation has a direct effect on the impact of that experience in their lives. A Search Institute study, "A Quantitative Study of the Impact of Service-Learning Programs," found that "the more personally responsible the youth is for their own service experience, the greater the chance it affects them personally- assuming they reflect on the activities in a structured way." The same point is relevant for people of all generations.

Take advantage of existing opportunities. Introducing intergenerational service-learning does not necessarily mean introducing new programs. It can start by simply examining current opportunities and practices to determine whether and how they can be made more appropriate for multiple generations. Consider these options:

• Integrate young people into existing service activities that the congregation sponsors, but that have been primarily the domain of adults.
• Engage more adults in existing youth service efforts - not just as drivers or chaperones, but as coworkers.
• Form individual or group mentoring relationships between youth and adults in which one thing they do together is to participate in a service or giving project.

Be intentional about reflection and recognition. Providing opportunities to intentionally reflect on and learn from their service experience is perhaps the most important - and most neglected - aspect of effective service-learning. Service-learning experts and trainers James and Pamela Toole of Compass Institute in St. Paul, assert that "no activity is more central to understanding and implementing service-learning programs than reflection." Reflection can take place many ways (from personal journals to group dialogue to creation of videos or Web sites that interpret the experience in light of faith). However it is done, reflection allows you to examine the experience together in light of goals for education, learning, growth, and formation.

Cultivating a Culture of Service

If your goal is for people to learn that serving others is a normal, ongoing part of life, it's important that helping others, generosity, and service become clear, normative expectations throughout the church - not just for the people involved in projects. As serving others, and learning from those experiences, becomes part of the culture of your congregation, it's much less likely that you'll have trouble finding chaperones for the youth service projects or engaging many adults in educational experiences on social issues.

Missed Opportunity in Congregations

A pilot study of 1,592 youth and adults in 15 U.S. congregations in 2003 suggests that many congregations miss opportunities for intergenerational service-learning. Here are the percentages of survey participants who said their congregation does each thing very well. All three areas can be addressed through effective intergenerational service-learning.

• Providing opportunities for children, youth, and adults to serve others together: 42%
• Providing opportunities for children, youth, and adults to learn and study together: 29%
• Providing opportunities for children, youth, and adults to get to know each other: 29%

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