Building a Community Legacy Together

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (June 11, 2019) -- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s 4-H Youth Development Program is excited to participate in the Building a Community Legacy Together, (BCLT) program, created at the Cornell Institute of Translational Research on Aging at Cornell University. The BCLT program compiles the wisdom of adults over the age of 65 so their advice for living can be passed down to future generations. The program creates an opportunity for high school-aged youth to interview older adults living in the community about their life lessons and to present what they’ve learned to their communities. Youth learn about older people and aging and create respect for the wisdom of age and combat ageism.

Youth develop skill sets that will be useful to them in the future like interviewing, research, and public speaking skills. Adult participants have the opportunity to share their wisdom and may reduce their sense of social isolation, provide a sense of usefulness, increase self-esteem, and improve their attitudes toward youth.

The program is four sessions long. First youth meet with 4-H Staff to learn about the program and how to be an active participant in an interview. Youth and adults then meet and the interviews take place. Youth and 4-H staff came together again during the third session to unpack the life lessons shared in the interview and created a presentation. The fourth and final session is a community presentation where youth will share what they’ve learned with their families, the adult participants, and the community.

The first round of the BCLT program hosted three youth and three adult participants. Cornell Cooperative Extension hopes to expand BCLT to other youth and adult agencies. If you would like to learn more about BCLT or to see how your organization can get involved please contact Kate Ewer at 716-664-9502 ext. 212.

The community is invited to attend the final presentation on Friday, June 14, 2019 at 6:00pm at the Ag Center located at 3542 Turner Road, Jamestown. Three youth participants will share the most common lessons shared from the adults they interviewed. There will also be a question and answer session for  the community.

The 4-H Youth Development Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated June 12, 2019