August 12, 2019 • 18 mins
In this episode, Dr. Joan Lombardi, a giant in the early education field, discusses the role of community elders being changemakers for children and youth. She also discusses family separation at the border.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the g ene r ations United podcast where we
share insights from experts inthe intergenerational field on
how these practices improve thelives of children, youth, and
older adults.
I'm your host D onna Butts,executive director of
generations United.
Today, I' m t hrilled to have asour guest, our longtime friend
and colleague Joan L ombardi.
Joan is a giant in the earlychildhood education world.
(00:25):
She's dedicated her life toadvocating and inspiring
investments in children.
She's a well known author andadvocate not just here in the
U.S.
but abroad as well.
She also served as generationsUnited's co-chair of our
Seniors4Kids initiative andcurrently is the director of the
early opportunities, anonpartisan effort to improve
public, private and civicinvestments in the children and
(00:48):
families.
Welcome to the show, Joan.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Thank you, Donna.
Thank you for all your work.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Oh, I appreciate that.
It's been wonderful to share inthat work with you for many,
many years and you've alwaysbeen such a hero and an
inspiration with yourdedication.
I remember, I think when I firststarted at generations United,
one of the first conferences Iwent to was one that you
sponsored when you were at thechildren's bureau and it was an
intergenerational childcare andI thought the materials that
(01:13):
came out of that, the excitementthat came out of that were were
really, really inspiring.
I wish that there were morepeople thinking about the role
of older adults in children'slives and in providing childcare
today.
Do you have any thoughts onthat?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I'm really glad that you remembered those moments
because I think for everyoneworking in public service, they
have a real opportunity whetheryou work on senior services or
you work on children's issues tobring those two parts of an
agency or across agenciestogether and to promote
intergenerational efforts.
(01:46):
We need much more of that.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I agree with you.
Some of our more recent worktogether was with seniors for
kids and that was an effort thatwe had that ran for about 10
years and it was really designedto raise the voices of older
adults and supportive policiesthat benefit children in youth.
You co-chaired that campaignwith anthropologist Mary
Catherine Bateson.
Can you talk about theimportance of community elders
(02:10):
and their role in making surethat we're making the positive
changes at children and youthneed?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Sure.
You know, seniors for kids wasan idea that I think we need to
rekindle from coast to coastacross the country.
We often talk about bringingseniors into volunteer service
with children, which of courseis so important, but we also
need their voice and theirinfluence.
So many people who've lived andwork in communities for many
(02:37):
years when a particular state orhave run a business or
contributed in some other wayhave a light influence in
decision making and we needtheir help to make children a
priority.
As you become a grandparent,which I have become, you
appreciate the need for improvedpolicies for children more and
more.
For example, although I've beenan advocate for child most of my
(03:00):
adult life, when my own grandsonwas born and my daughter and son
in law, I started to look forchildcare and face the problems
that we know exist so oftenacross the country.
It made me even more committedto speaking out on behalf of
paid leave and improve childcareand I think we see that same
thing happening.
(03:20):
Too many grandparents across thecountry.
Now on the other side of thepicture, I'm have my 96 year old
mother living near me in anassisted living and it's brought
home the importance ofadvocating for elder care and
childcare together.
They're both under resource.
They both in need of publicattention, so advocates for
(03:40):
children and advocates forseniors really need to come
together to form a strongervoice.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I really agree with you, Joan.
I remember having theseconversations before and trying
to understand why the childcareand elder care workforce and
fields didn't work more closelytogether.
It seems like in the aging fieldwhen it comes to
intergenerational connections,there's a deeper understanding
or interest in intergenerationalwork.
We've seen some of that from thechildren and youth side, but not
(04:09):
as much and I don't know if youhave any thoughts or suggestions
on how we can try to motivatethe groups to work more closely
together.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yeah, I think, you know, sometimes I see them
working together and sometimesthey don't.
It's certainly not enough.
But because child and youthpolicies and services are often
so separate from elder careservices, whether it be the
community level or as a publicservice level, we don't see them
coming together.
We need to be more intentionalin our efforts in bringing these
(04:37):
worlds together.
We need incentives to bringservices together at every
level.
We need to help people see whythis is important.
What is the goal of bringingelder care and child care, for
example, together?
Overall, I think the goal is tostrengthen the social fabric of
a community to build kind ofsupports that extended families
(05:00):
often provided in former times,but those supports are not in
places often given the demandsof work or that families are
separated by miles and by timeor the demands of both children
and parents.
You know, agencies are justdesigned to deal with one or two
issues on a special topic, oftento walk for one particular age
(05:22):
group.
But families don't come likethat.
Families don't come and parktoday.
I need child care for my babyand I need a better school for
my first grader tomorrow.
I need special services for myteenager and a nursing home for
my grandmother.
And so I think agencies andorganizations have to begin to
think about the holistic needsof families.
(05:44):
And that's one of the mainreasons why we need to be
working together.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I think you make some really, really good points,
Joan, that so oftentimes peopleare working in these silos that
we've created our policies, ourfunding streams, the way that
we've looked at at, as you said,as families and as fragments, as
segments rather than a wholeunit.
And understand that familiesdon't end at the parent level
(06:09):
either.
It's the aunt, it's thegrandparents, it's the others
that really helped to strengthena family.
So how we can look at that, ourpolicy and the way that we
implement our programs anddeliver services, I think really
needs to change.
And especially in light of whatyou were saying earlier about
becoming a grandparent, there'smore than 70 million
grandparents in America now andthat number's just going to
(06:30):
continue to grow.
So it's really how we make surethat we're looking at all
generations as an asset.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
And then, you know, I think a lot of those
grandparents are concerned abouttheir grandchildren and their
access to good services,particularly if they live far
away.
And at the same time, those samegrandmothers have elders in
their lives that they're alsocaring for it.
So this is a multigenerationalissue that families are facing.
(06:57):
Yet our service delivery systemdoesn't fit that image of a
family.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
But I always think about too is the u n I remember
several years ago actually, youknow, declared the family as the
cornerstone or the foundation ofcivil societies.
And if they really are the coreof our communities and our
neighborhoods and what makes ourcountry strong.
So anything that we can do tohelp to support families, to
support all generations in afamily, I think is really
(07:22):
important.
Couple of years ago when wereleased a report with the
Eisner Foundation called United,we thrive the power of
intergenerational unity.
You are wonderful to come andjoin us as a speaker.
And panelist did that.
And one of the comments you madewas the stories of
intergenerational connectionsare the fabric of what's going
right for the country.
I wondered if you could talk alittle bit more about how you
(07:43):
feel that that's the fabric ofwhat's right in the country.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Well, yeah, I remember the port report well
and first of all, thank you foryour work on that.
You know, the title to me saidit all.
You know, did we thrive?
What I see when I visit withcommunities across the country
or when I hear people talkingabout their communities is the
sense that people are trying tofind ways to support each other.
(08:06):
That new leadership is emergingnew voices, both parents and
grandparents.
You know, as you know, Donna, Ifocus mainly on the conditions
affecting young children andwhat I see families need today
is that census support both fromtheir own extended families and
from the larger community.
That sense that someone iscaring for their wellbeing.
(08:29):
For parents.
It's this social network ofsupport that provides the
enabling environment that allowsthem to be effective.
I do see a lot of thathappening.
At the community level.
And one thing that was greatabout your report was that you
highlighted those efforts andyou know, particularly now as we
(08:49):
hear and we're concerned with somany of the things that are
going on across the country,it's time to focus those things
that are happening incommunities that are positive
because I think that reflects areal America.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
I totally agree with you in terms of we seem to lose
that positive story and we needto elevate that.
The one thing that we mentionedin the report was oftentimes
when we think about solutions,we elevate them to a level that
is complex and that individualsfeel like they have no power to
really assert themselves in.
And one of the things that wesaid in the report was as an
(09:24):
individual, what is it that youcan do?
And what I think about with afamily, and I'd love to hear
what your thoughts on this is iteven if you don't feel like you
have the influence in someareas, what you can do is reach
across the street, connect witha neighbor and be there for the
children.
And the families that are aroundyou.
Do you have any thoughts onthat?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, I think that's key.
You know, I always thinkadvocacy starts at home.
It starts with welcoming aneighbor.
It starts with going across thestreet as you were saying and
reaching out, taking insomeone's mail when they're on
vacation, bringing you know,soup when another family member
is sick.
Being concerned and joiningneighbors to make sure that the
(10:09):
children that are at the borderthat are coming into the country
have the right support andsupplies that they need.
All across the country, we'reseeing individual acts of, I
would call it, heroism.
And you know from firstresponders on down and I th ink
w e have to highlight and pickthose up every day because they
(10:31):
are reweaving the fabric ofcommunities and supporting
families in ways that we needmuch more of.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Joan, you've really started to touch on something.
I know you and I have both beenthinking a lot about lately and
that's this concern aboutchildren who are being separated
from their parents at theborder.
We found in a report that weissued last year, a report
called, Love Without Borders: Grandfamilies and Immigration, (10:52):
undefined
that about a half a millionchildren in immigrant families
are being raised by extendedfamily members.
That what's happening istouching entire extended
families.
It's impacting children.
It's taking them away from thegrandparents and caregivers that
they love and that they need notjust their parents, but what are
(11:15):
you thinking about on this issueof immigration, of separation,
and what do you think we can doabout this terrible situation?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah.
Well, first of all, we can dobetter than this.
As a country.
We really have to address theracial justice issues that the
country's ignored forgenerations.
And as you're saying, we are anation of immigrants.
The U.S., in many ways, is aplace of hope that we can live
together, that we can celebrateour diversity, that we can
(11:42):
appreciate the richness andcontributions of all people.
We can't lose this idea.
It's a critical moment in thecountry.
Families belong together.
Parents hoping for a better lifefor their children should never
be separated from them.
We can do better than this.
We need new immigration policiesincluding ongoing supports for
(12:03):
those people applying forasylum.
We need a pathway to citizenshipfor those people that have been
working in the shadows for yearsat some of the most difficult
jobs and for their children whoare often dreamers.
So standing up and speaking outabout these policies right now
is critically important.
More immediate-- I think, again,as we were saying-- we have to
(12:26):
do something as volunteers tosupport new members of our
community, to volunteer andwelcome those people that are
arriving i n our bus stops,volunteer with a group
organizing to support ourneighbors.
Y ou know, democracy is not aspectator sport.
People have to get involved
Speaker 1 (12:43):
One of the things that we've tried to do is get
out the message that yes, we'rea country of immigrants and
there are dual demographicchanges that our country's
experiencing.
We do not only have an agingpopulation, we have an aging
population that is predominantlywhite and we have a younger
population that's of color.
And unlike a number of countrieswhere they have limited
immigrations or not allowedimmigration, it's really our
(13:05):
country's greatest strengthbecause we have this younger
population that's coming up thatis vibrant, that's going to make
sure that our economy continuesto be strong and to grow and
that need to connect thosegenerations to cherish and
welcome people as they come intothis country and want to make a
better life is something that weall need to work together on.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, and I would add , Donna, that, you know, if you
look across the country at therecent immigrants or immigrants
that have been here for 10, 20years, working, again in some of
the hardest jobs in ourneighborhoods, in our
communities, there are elderlyand there are young people.
And again, I think one of thethings we should be intentional
(13:45):
about is bringing traditionalsenior serving agencies,
traditional early childhoodagencies together with agencies
that are focusing on immigrantsand refugees and making those
connections stronger.
And assuring they have access tothose services.
We can do that.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
We can.
So Joan, as we're into ourconversation and thinking about
some of these things.
Are there other things that havebeen on your mind lately or
other areas that you're going tobe focusing on or plan to focus
on?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Well, I mean I think, again, I've been doing a lot of
focusing on the community workthat's emerging in hundreds and
hundreds of communities acrossthe country that come together
to plan and to think about howthey can be the best community
to raise a child.
I think continuing to learn fromthem, continuing to lift up the
examples for them and hope thatthat can inform policy from the
(14:40):
bottom up.
I've been very focused onpromoting new and diverse
leadership in the field, helpingto raise the issues of c
hildcare globally in low incomecountries.
You know, I'm very blessed tohave a wealth of options and
opportunities and I think eachof us has that specialness
inside of us that we have toshare and use our agencies to
(15:02):
the best possible ability thatwe can.
You know, I think what I'm mosthopeful about is that there are
more people saying we have tospread joy, not hate.
We have to spread hope, notfear.
We have to stay optimistic andbelieve that change is possible
and believe me, it can make adifference.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I think that's beautifully said because it's so
easy to get caught up in thehorrors that we hear about, that
we see that we experience andwonder, where's that positive
kernel?
Where is it that we can findjoy?
And it's that need to make surethat we're gonna continue, that
advocates that are as strong andimportant and have such great
(15:41):
voices as yours are elevated andlistened to.
So I really appreciateeverything that you've done in
that you are continuing to do.
But one last thing, Joan, andyou did mention the fact that
one thing that's changed sincewe've known each other over the
years is that you're now agrandmother.
And was there anything that youdiscovered when you became a
grandmother that you weren'texpecting
Speaker 2 (15:59):
and to just, you know, it's a joyful experience I
think because I didn't aroundchildren for a long time, but
there is a special nurse aboutbecoming a grandparent and
there's a special responsibilityand there's just a special joy.
And I think what it did for meis once again, make me
appreciate how hard it is toparent and how much young
(16:21):
parents need or support indifferent ways than past
generations did.
We've got to, again, reweavethat fabric of support.
My grandchild lives 200 milesaway from me.
So finding the way and hopingthat there are people in his
community and my children'scommunity can support them along
(16:41):
the way.
It just brought that home.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Oh, I think that's such an important point because
one thing that we say is if youdon't have a child in your life,
find one.
You don't have an older adult inyour life.
Find One.
And even if you're not as closephysically and geographically,
two grandchildren, your nieces,your nephews, you can play that
caring role in someone's life.
So I really appreciate thatmessage.
(17:03):
Thanks Joan.
Joan, I want to say thank youfor your time today and thank
our audience for tuning in andlistening to our conversation.
The next guest on our show isgoing to be Nancy Henkin.
Nancy is a legend in theintergenerational field, having
worked in this area for morethan 40 years and founding the
intergenerational center atTemple University.
We're also fortunate that she'sa senior fellow here at
(17:25):
generations United, so she'll bejoining me next.
In the meantime, think aboutgrandparents' Day, which is
coming up and remember to dosomething grand.
Think about the conversationthat Joan and I just had and if
there's one thing that you canpull out of it and one thing
that you can do and one day youcan do it, do it in honor of
Grandparents Day and let's domake it a time to do something
grand for another generation.
(17:46):
I'd also like to ask people ifthey would please leave review
of our podcast on apple podcastsor other streaming platforms.
That's how we get out there, howpeople hear about us, and we
want to be able to share thisintergenerational message and
the importance of keeping thegenerations connected with
everyone.
I'd like to thank again, JoanLombardi for all you do and for
joining us.
Thank you for listening andremember, stay connected to
(18:08):
another generation.
We are stronger together.
Thank you.
Welcome to the g ene r ations United podcast where we
share insights from experts inthe intergenerational field on
how these practices improve thelives of children, youth, and
older adults.
I'm your host D onna Butts,executive director of
generations United.
Today, I' m t hrilled to have asour guest, our longtime friend
and colleague Joan L ombardi.
Joan is a giant in the earlychildhood education world.
(00:25):
She's dedicated her life toadvocating and inspiring
investments in children.
She's a well known author andadvocate not just here in the
U.S.
but abroad as well.
She also served as generationsUnited's co-chair of our
Seniors4Kids initiative andcurrently is the director of the
early opportunities, anonpartisan effort to improve
public, private and civicinvestments in the children and
(00:48):
families.
Welcome to the show, Joan.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Thank you, Donna.
Thank you for all your work.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Oh, I appreciate that.
It's been wonderful to share inthat work with you for many,
many years and you've alwaysbeen such a hero and an
inspiration with yourdedication.
I remember, I think when I firststarted at generations United,
one of the first conferences Iwent to was one that you
sponsored when you were at thechildren's bureau and it was an
intergenerational childcare andI thought the materials that
(01:13):
came out of that, the excitementthat came out of that were were
really, really inspiring.
I wish that there were morepeople thinking about the role
of older adults in children'slives and in providing childcare
today.
Do you have any thoughts onthat?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I'm really glad that you remembered those moments
because I think for everyoneworking in public service, they
have a real opportunity whetheryou work on senior services or
you work on children's issues tobring those two parts of an
agency or across agenciestogether and to promote
intergenerational efforts.
(01:46):
We need much more of that.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I agree with you.
Some of our more recent worktogether was with seniors for
kids and that was an effort thatwe had that ran for about 10
years and it was really designedto raise the voices of older
adults and supportive policiesthat benefit children in youth.
You co-chaired that campaignwith anthropologist Mary
Catherine Bateson.
Can you talk about theimportance of community elders
(02:10):
and their role in making surethat we're making the positive
changes at children and youthneed?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Sure.
You know, seniors for kids wasan idea that I think we need to
rekindle from coast to coastacross the country.
We often talk about bringingseniors into volunteer service
with children, which of courseis so important, but we also
need their voice and theirinfluence.
So many people who've lived andwork in communities for many
(02:37):
years when a particular state orhave run a business or
contributed in some other wayhave a light influence in
decision making and we needtheir help to make children a
priority.
As you become a grandparent,which I have become, you
appreciate the need for improvedpolicies for children more and
more.
For example, although I've beenan advocate for child most of my
(03:00):
adult life, when my own grandsonwas born and my daughter and son
in law, I started to look forchildcare and face the problems
that we know exist so oftenacross the country.
It made me even more committedto speaking out on behalf of
paid leave and improve childcareand I think we see that same
thing happening.
(03:20):
Too many grandparents across thecountry.
Now on the other side of thepicture, I'm have my 96 year old
mother living near me in anassisted living and it's brought
home the importance ofadvocating for elder care and
childcare together.
They're both under resource.
They both in need of publicattention, so advocates for
(03:40):
children and advocates forseniors really need to come
together to form a strongervoice.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I really agree with you, Joan.
I remember having theseconversations before and trying
to understand why the childcareand elder care workforce and
fields didn't work more closelytogether.
It seems like in the aging fieldwhen it comes to
intergenerational connections,there's a deeper understanding
or interest in intergenerationalwork.
We've seen some of that from thechildren and youth side, but not
(04:09):
as much and I don't know if youhave any thoughts or suggestions
on how we can try to motivatethe groups to work more closely
together.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yeah, I think, you know, sometimes I see them
working together and sometimesthey don't.
It's certainly not enough.
But because child and youthpolicies and services are often
so separate from elder careservices, whether it be the
community level or as a publicservice level, we don't see them
coming together.
We need to be more intentionalin our efforts in bringing these
(04:37):
worlds together.
We need incentives to bringservices together at every
level.
We need to help people see whythis is important.
What is the goal of bringingelder care and child care, for
example, together?
Overall, I think the goal is tostrengthen the social fabric of
a community to build kind ofsupports that extended families
(05:00):
often provided in former times,but those supports are not in
places often given the demandsof work or that families are
separated by miles and by timeor the demands of both children
and parents.
You know, agencies are justdesigned to deal with one or two
issues on a special topic, oftento walk for one particular age
(05:22):
group.
But families don't come likethat.
Families don't come and parktoday.
I need child care for my babyand I need a better school for
my first grader tomorrow.
I need special services for myteenager and a nursing home for
my grandmother.
And so I think agencies andorganizations have to begin to
think about the holistic needsof families.
(05:44):
And that's one of the mainreasons why we need to be
working together.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I think you make some really, really good points,
Joan, that so oftentimes peopleare working in these silos that
we've created our policies, ourfunding streams, the way that
we've looked at at, as you said,as families and as fragments, as
segments rather than a wholeunit.
And understand that familiesdon't end at the parent level
(06:09):
either.
It's the aunt, it's thegrandparents, it's the others
that really helped to strengthena family.
So how we can look at that, ourpolicy and the way that we
implement our programs anddeliver services, I think really
needs to change.
And especially in light of whatyou were saying earlier about
becoming a grandparent, there'smore than 70 million
grandparents in America now andthat number's just going to
(06:30):
continue to grow.
So it's really how we make surethat we're looking at all
generations as an asset.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
And then, you know, I think a lot of those
grandparents are concerned abouttheir grandchildren and their
access to good services,particularly if they live far
away.
And at the same time, those samegrandmothers have elders in
their lives that they're alsocaring for it.
So this is a multigenerationalissue that families are facing.
(06:57):
Yet our service delivery systemdoesn't fit that image of a
family.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
But I always think about too is the u n I remember
several years ago actually, youknow, declared the family as the
cornerstone or the foundation ofcivil societies.
And if they really are the coreof our communities and our
neighborhoods and what makes ourcountry strong.
So anything that we can do tohelp to support families, to
support all generations in afamily, I think is really
(07:22):
important.
Couple of years ago when wereleased a report with the
Eisner Foundation called United,we thrive the power of
intergenerational unity.
You are wonderful to come andjoin us as a speaker.
And panelist did that.
And one of the comments you madewas the stories of
intergenerational connectionsare the fabric of what's going
right for the country.
I wondered if you could talk alittle bit more about how you
(07:43):
feel that that's the fabric ofwhat's right in the country.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Well, yeah, I remember the port report well
and first of all, thank you foryour work on that.
You know, the title to me saidit all.
You know, did we thrive?
What I see when I visit withcommunities across the country
or when I hear people talkingabout their communities is the
sense that people are trying tofind ways to support each other.
(08:06):
That new leadership is emergingnew voices, both parents and
grandparents.
You know, as you know, Donna, Ifocus mainly on the conditions
affecting young children andwhat I see families need today
is that census support both fromtheir own extended families and
from the larger community.
That sense that someone iscaring for their wellbeing.
(08:29):
For parents.
It's this social network ofsupport that provides the
enabling environment that allowsthem to be effective.
I do see a lot of thathappening.
At the community level.
And one thing that was greatabout your report was that you
highlighted those efforts andyou know, particularly now as we
(08:49):
hear and we're concerned with somany of the things that are
going on across the country,it's time to focus those things
that are happening incommunities that are positive
because I think that reflects areal America.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
I totally agree with you in terms of we seem to lose
that positive story and we needto elevate that.
The one thing that we mentionedin the report was oftentimes
when we think about solutions,we elevate them to a level that
is complex and that individualsfeel like they have no power to
really assert themselves in.
And one of the things that wesaid in the report was as an
(09:24):
individual, what is it that youcan do?
And what I think about with afamily, and I'd love to hear
what your thoughts on this is iteven if you don't feel like you
have the influence in someareas, what you can do is reach
across the street, connect witha neighbor and be there for the
children.
And the families that are aroundyou.
Do you have any thoughts onthat?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, I think that's key.
You know, I always thinkadvocacy starts at home.
It starts with welcoming aneighbor.
It starts with going across thestreet as you were saying and
reaching out, taking insomeone's mail when they're on
vacation, bringing you know,soup when another family member
is sick.
Being concerned and joiningneighbors to make sure that the
(10:09):
children that are at the borderthat are coming into the country
have the right support andsupplies that they need.
All across the country, we'reseeing individual acts of, I
would call it, heroism.
And you know from firstresponders on down and I th ink
w e have to highlight and pickthose up every day because they
(10:31):
are reweaving the fabric ofcommunities and supporting
families in ways that we needmuch more of.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Joan, you've really started to touch on something.
I know you and I have both beenthinking a lot about lately and
that's this concern aboutchildren who are being separated
from their parents at theborder.
We found in a report that weissued last year, a report
called, Love Without Borders: Grandfamilies and Immigration, (10:52):
undefined
that about a half a millionchildren in immigrant families
are being raised by extendedfamily members.
That what's happening istouching entire extended
families.
It's impacting children.
It's taking them away from thegrandparents and caregivers that
they love and that they need notjust their parents, but what are
(11:15):
you thinking about on this issueof immigration, of separation,
and what do you think we can doabout this terrible situation?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah.
Well, first of all, we can dobetter than this.
As a country.
We really have to address theracial justice issues that the
country's ignored forgenerations.
And as you're saying, we are anation of immigrants.
The U.S., in many ways, is aplace of hope that we can live
together, that we can celebrateour diversity, that we can
(11:42):
appreciate the richness andcontributions of all people.
We can't lose this idea.
It's a critical moment in thecountry.
Families belong together.
Parents hoping for a better lifefor their children should never
be separated from them.
We can do better than this.
We need new immigration policiesincluding ongoing supports for
(12:03):
those people applying forasylum.
We need a pathway to citizenshipfor those people that have been
working in the shadows for yearsat some of the most difficult
jobs and for their children whoare often dreamers.
So standing up and speaking outabout these policies right now
is critically important.
More immediate-- I think, again,as we were saying-- we have to
(12:26):
do something as volunteers tosupport new members of our
community, to volunteer andwelcome those people that are
arriving i n our bus stops,volunteer with a group
organizing to support ourneighbors.
Y ou know, democracy is not aspectator sport.
People have to get involved
Speaker 1 (12:43):
One of the things that we've tried to do is get
out the message that yes, we'rea country of immigrants and
there are dual demographicchanges that our country's
experiencing.
We do not only have an agingpopulation, we have an aging
population that is predominantlywhite and we have a younger
population that's of color.
And unlike a number of countrieswhere they have limited
immigrations or not allowedimmigration, it's really our
(13:05):
country's greatest strengthbecause we have this younger
population that's coming up thatis vibrant, that's going to make
sure that our economy continuesto be strong and to grow and
that need to connect thosegenerations to cherish and
welcome people as they come intothis country and want to make a
better life is something that weall need to work together on.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, and I would add , Donna, that, you know, if you
look across the country at therecent immigrants or immigrants
that have been here for 10, 20years, working, again in some of
the hardest jobs in ourneighborhoods, in our
communities, there are elderlyand there are young people.
And again, I think one of thethings we should be intentional
(13:45):
about is bringing traditionalsenior serving agencies,
traditional early childhoodagencies together with agencies
that are focusing on immigrantsand refugees and making those
connections stronger.
And assuring they have access tothose services.
We can do that.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
We can.
So Joan, as we're into ourconversation and thinking about
some of these things.
Are there other things that havebeen on your mind lately or
other areas that you're going tobe focusing on or plan to focus
on?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Well, I mean I think, again, I've been doing a lot of
focusing on the community workthat's emerging in hundreds and
hundreds of communities acrossthe country that come together
to plan and to think about howthey can be the best community
to raise a child.
I think continuing to learn fromthem, continuing to lift up the
examples for them and hope thatthat can inform policy from the
(14:40):
bottom up.
I've been very focused onpromoting new and diverse
leadership in the field, helpingto raise the issues of c
hildcare globally in low incomecountries.
You know, I'm very blessed tohave a wealth of options and
opportunities and I think eachof us has that specialness
inside of us that we have toshare and use our agencies to
(15:02):
the best possible ability thatwe can.
You know, I think what I'm mosthopeful about is that there are
more people saying we have tospread joy, not hate.
We have to spread hope, notfear.
We have to stay optimistic andbelieve that change is possible
and believe me, it can make adifference.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I think that's beautifully said because it's so
easy to get caught up in thehorrors that we hear about, that
we see that we experience andwonder, where's that positive
kernel?
Where is it that we can findjoy?
And it's that need to make surethat we're gonna continue, that
advocates that are as strong andimportant and have such great
(15:41):
voices as yours are elevated andlistened to.
So I really appreciateeverything that you've done in
that you are continuing to do.
But one last thing, Joan, andyou did mention the fact that
one thing that's changed sincewe've known each other over the
years is that you're now agrandmother.
And was there anything that youdiscovered when you became a
grandmother that you weren'texpecting
Speaker 2 (15:59):
and to just, you know, it's a joyful experience I
think because I didn't aroundchildren for a long time, but
there is a special nurse aboutbecoming a grandparent and
there's a special responsibilityand there's just a special joy.
And I think what it did for meis once again, make me
appreciate how hard it is toparent and how much young
(16:21):
parents need or support indifferent ways than past
generations did.
We've got to, again, reweavethat fabric of support.
My grandchild lives 200 milesaway from me.
So finding the way and hopingthat there are people in his
community and my children'scommunity can support them along
(16:41):
the way.
It just brought that home.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Oh, I think that's such an important point because
one thing that we say is if youdon't have a child in your life,
find one.
You don't have an older adult inyour life.
Find One.
And even if you're not as closephysically and geographically,
two grandchildren, your nieces,your nephews, you can play that
caring role in someone's life.
So I really appreciate thatmessage.
(17:03):
Thanks Joan.
Joan, I want to say thank youfor your time today and thank
our audience for tuning in andlistening to our conversation.
The next guest on our show isgoing to be Nancy Henkin.
Nancy is a legend in theintergenerational field, having
worked in this area for morethan 40 years and founding the
intergenerational center atTemple University.
We're also fortunate that she'sa senior fellow here at
(17:25):
generations United, so she'll bejoining me next.
In the meantime, think aboutgrandparents' Day, which is
coming up and remember to dosomething grand.
Think about the conversationthat Joan and I just had and if
there's one thing that you canpull out of it and one thing
that you can do and one day youcan do it, do it in honor of
Grandparents Day and let's domake it a time to do something
grand for another generation.
(17:46):
I'd also like to ask people ifthey would please leave review
of our podcast on apple podcastsor other streaming platforms.
That's how we get out there, howpeople hear about us, and we
want to be able to share thisintergenerational message and
the importance of keeping thegenerations connected with
everyone.
I'd like to thank again, JoanLombardi for all you do and for
joining us.
Thank you for listening andremember, stay connected to
(18:08):
another generation.
We are stronger together.
Thank you.
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