To stamp out prejudice against older people, New York City schools are starting young. A pilot program in 13 Brooklyn high schools has started teaching teenagers to identify ageism and prevent age-based discrimination.
The idea for the program grew out of two high school internship programs where the students worked with older adults. The students spoke up about wanting to learn more about ageism, citing negative portrayals of older people in the media and pop culture. “They said Disney has all these characters that were old and wicked, or spooky, or scary. Or grandmothers that turned into wolves,” said NYC Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. “Just out of the mouths of these young people came this idea to talk about ageism. And where better to talk about ageism than schools, where so many impressions are made and learning happens?” The pilot program began this spring semester and the goal is to expand it throughout New York City in the next several years, Cortés-Vázquez said. The New York City Department for the Aging and the city Department of Education partnered on the program, which is called Intergenerational Connections to Fight Ageism. The program is incorporated into the curriculum and no additional staff or costs are involved. A resource guide …