Art and movement: An intergenerational contact program

Ageism is a pervasive and harmful bias directed at individuals based on age. Ageism has significant negative mental, physical, and well-being outcomes for young and older adults. Reducing ageism is a serious social issue, and while intergenerational contact programs have shown promise, few multi-week, in-person interventions have explored ageism reduction among both younger and older adults. This study tested the impact of a 4-week in-person intergenerational program designed to reduce ageism by fostering connection and creativity among younger and older adults. Using a mixed-methods, within-subjects design, results among younger adults indicated significant reductions in both benevolent and hostile ageism, as well as intergenerational tensions. In addition, open-ended data, as well as observational data, revealed enhanced intergenerational connection, creativity, and personal growth among both younger and older participants. Older adults did not demonstrate significant differences in the quantitative measures. However, this may have been due to language barriers that limited the effectiveness of the surveys, as observations indicated positive intergenerational interactions throughout the program. This intervention underscores the potential of in-depth, long-term, creative intergenerational programs designed to reduce ageism and facilitate intergenerational connections. Implications and future directions are discussed.