Shared Power, Shared Learning: Intergenerational Frameworks for Change

Outline

Session Outline (60 minutes)

1. Welcome & Grounding the Topic (12 minutes)

Welcome, framing, and purpose
Marilyn, ~5 minutes

Welcome participants and introduce session purpose

Briefly situate intergenerational collaboration within current education and civics trends

Name the core question: What becomes possible when youth and adults share power in learning and leadership?

Connection activity: Lived experience of voice
Janet, ~7 minutes

Pair-and-share with prompts:

“What does it feel like to be your age in the world today?”

Invite 2–3 quick reflections in the large group

Purpose: Build empathy, surface intergenerational dynamics, and prime participants for shared learning.

2. Why Intergenerational Collaboration Matters (17 minutes)

CoGenerate perspective: The case for shared power
Janet, ~7 minutes

Introduce CoGenerate’s research on intergenerational allyship

Frame the 3Ps: Proximity, Purpose, Partnership

Emphasize what young people want—and don’t want—from adult allies

Video: Youth perspectives on allyship
~5 minutes

Screen CoGenerate video: “What Teens Want – and Don’t Want – from Older Allies”

Rapid reflection
~5 minutes

Pair discussion: What resonated or surprised you?

One or two popcorn responses in the large group

Purpose: Establish a shared research-informed framework grounded in youth voice.

3. What It Looks Like in Practice: Mikva Challenge (25 minutes)

Mikva Challenge overview: From theory to practice
Jill, ~5 minutes

Introduce Mikva Challenge’s school-based approach to youth–adult partnership

Briefly highlight key programs (Issues to Action, Student Voice Committees, Elections in Action, News, Voice, Power, Project Soapbox) as examples of shared leadership in action

Experiential activity: Mini-Soapbox
~10 minutes total

Individual writing (2–3 minutes):

Prompt: “What issue would you get up on your Soapbox for, and why?”

Large group share out to hear the range of topics

Screen Mikva Challenge video (Student Soapbox Speech)

Large-group reflection prompt:

What skills, knowledge, and dispositions do you observe the student demonstrating in this video?

Debrief & reflection
~10 minutes

Large-group reflection prompts:

How might this kind of structure shift power, belonging, or culture in schools?

What changes when adults consistently listen to youth in this way?

Could you imagine what it would be like to have younger and older pairs presenting together?

Purpose: Let participants reflect on youth voice and shared power.

4. Closing Reflection & Next Steps (6 minutes)

Synthesis and key takeaways
Marilyn, ~4 minutes

Connect CoGenerate’s framework and Mikva’s practice back to broader education and civic learning trends

Reinforce the value of small, intentional intergenerational shifts

Wrap-up & resources
~2 minutes

Invite a few closing reflections

Share follow-up resources (optional handout or slide)

Outcomes

Participants will leave with a simple Intergenerational Action Sketch outlining one concrete way to strengthen youth–adult partnership in their own context. Using CoGenerate’s 3Ps framework (Proximity, Purpose, Partnership) and examples from Mikva Challenge, attendees will identify:

- One issue where youth voice should be elevated

- One setting where youth and adults could share power more intentionally

- One small, actionable step they can test immediately (e.g., shared facilitation, youth-led storytelling, or joint presentations)

The takeaway is a practical, ready-to-use action step grounded in research and real-world practice.

Supporting research

Supporting Research

Encore.org. (2022). Cogeneration: Is America Ready to Unleash a Multigenerational Force for Good? https://cogenerate.org/research/cogeneration/

Brennan Center for Justice. (2021). Intergenerational Civic Learning. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/intergenerational-civic-learning

Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). (2021). Civic Spring Project Final Report. https://circle.tufts.edu/sites/default/files/2021-06/Civic_Spring_Report_Final.pdf

Harvard Kennedy School – Ash Center. (2025). Experiential Civic Learning White Paper. https://ash.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Experiential-Civic-Learning-White-Paper-FINAL.pdf

CoGenerate. (2022). What Young Leaders Want – and Don’t Want – from Older Allies. https://cogenerate.org/young-leaders/

CoGenerate. (2022). What Older Leaders Want – and Don’t Want – from Younger Allies. https://cogenerate.org/young-leaders/

National Association of State Boards of Education. (2022). The Science of Experiential Civics. https://www.nasbe.org/the-science-of-experiential-civics/

Rubin, B.C. & Hayes, B. (2021). Lived Expertise Civics – Let’s Go There: Making a Case for Race, Ethnicity and a Lived Civics Approach to Civic Education. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e20c70a7802d9509b9aeff2/t/5e66cd4feddd0f57bb759f21/1583795568756/LetsGoThere_Paper_V17.pdf

Levinson, Meira. (2009). Taking Action: What We Can Do to Address the Civic Achievement Gap. https://dash.harvard.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/7312037c-ed15-6bd4-e053-0100007fdf3b/content

Mikva Challenge. (2023). Mikva Challenge Evaluation Report (2023). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X8R3q_8WwO-BrCilKlvFX7TtrtYMLbp9/view