Best Intergenerational Community Awards
Generations United and MetLife Foundation will recognize up to 5 communities with the first-ever Best Intergenerational Communities Awards. Generations United is the national membership organization focused solely on improving the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies.  You can find out more about them at www.gu.org. MetLife Foundation is the charitable arm of MetLife and makes grants in health, education, civic affairs and culture.
Generations United and MetLife will select communities based on standard criteria that take into account a community’s own demographics, services, programs and organizational structure. Communities will be recognized for their specific intergenerational successes and will not be compared to other applicants. The winning communities will be awarded with a public recognition event in Washington, DC including visits with members of Congress, national and local media exposure, a profile on Generations United’s website, publicity through Generations United’s social media outlets (Facebook and Twitter), and recognition at the 2013 Generations United International Conference. The winners will also receive an award logo for us on websites and other materials and a physical award to recognize the accomplishment. Technical assistance on intergenerational practice and advocacy with Generations United will be available to the award recipients.
An intergenerational community is not just one where multiple generations reside. It is one where individuals of all ages are an integral and valued part of the setting. They have provided the following definitions as guidance:
“Communities” refers to geographic areas with defined borders and resident populations for which reliable demographic data is available. This could mean metropolitan areas, cities, towns, counties, zip   codes, neighborhoods and school districts. Individual organizations or living/care facilities are not alone  eligible for this recognition.
“Intergenerational communities” refers to place that (1) provide adequately for safety, health,   education and the basic necessities of life, (2) promote programs, policies, and practices that increase  cooperation, interaction, and exchange between people of different generations, and (3) enables all ages to share their talents and resources, and support each other in relationships that benefit both individuals and their community.
Generations United and MetLife Foundation are looking for this perspective to be reflected in the families, structures, facilities and services that children and older adults encounter in the community as well as in day-to-day interactions and relationships. Partnerships between local government, senior citizen homes, schools, businesses, local cultural and community organizations and services, families, older adults and children are essential to be considered intergenerational. An intergenerational community builds on the positive resources that each generation has to offer to each other and those around them. It also advances policies and practices that both acknowledge and promote intergenerational interdependence.
Who is eligible to apply? Communities that meet the above description. The application may be completed by any community member but must be completed in coordination with a local official (i.e. government official, Neighborhood Association President, County Executive, etc) and must be verified and signed by the official.
Application deadline is January 31, 2012, late submissions will not be considered. Applications and letters of support should be emailed to gu@gu.org
Applications will be reviewed in February by an expert panel who will be evaluating applications based on pre-determined criteria. Successful applicants will be notified later in February. The public recognition event will take place in Washington DC in March 2012.
For more information and to download the application visit: http://www2.gu.org/OURWORK/Programs/BestIntergenerationalCommunitiesAwards.aspx