Chain of Resilience: Students in Residential Educational Frameworks and Senior Citizens:
Program for Developing Resilience through Multicultural and Intergenerational Encounters

Program Background:

The Resilience Education program has been operating at WIZO youth villages since 2013. The program focuses on developing and reinforcing personal resilience and skills for coping with stressful situations. In view of the program`s success in reducing posttraumatic symptoms, as corroborated by research findings, the Israel Ministry of Education approved the program, which is now being implemented across Israel.

Program Abstract:

In the Chain of Resilience program, instituted in youth villages during second year of Resilience Education, learners become teachers who teach resilience skills to seniors.

Program objective: Promoting multicultural/intergenerational learning and empowerment:

• Among adolescents:
  1. Shift focus away from personal difficulties by helping others.
  2. Assimilate and expand emotional language for coping with everyday stress and crises by acquiring tools and teaching them to multicultural group.
• Among seniors: Improve resilience and coping with developmental challenges of aging.

Operation and Implementation:

Since 2014, about 150 students at WIZO youth villages have participated in the program. Each village appointed project leader and located a nearby senior facility. Each participant attended six training sessions, was given a detailed instructional program and was permanently assigned to one senior. After each session the group discussed the experience and drew conclusions.

Session content: learning and practicing physiological, cognitive and emotional CBT-based tools and interpersonal skills.

Conclusions:

Multicultural/intergenerational encounters constitute an effective platform for developing resilience and building meaningful interpersonal relationships. Both sides benefit while serving as learners and teachers.

Adolescents: Internalized importance and value of listening to others.

Seniors: Acquired meaningful tools; relationship with students extended beyond formal meetings.

Recommendation: Empirical project assessment.