LBFE Boston advances equity by offering older people with limited resources a range of activities similar to what you find in market-rate retirement communities. Click here to view our 2025 program brochure.
Intergenerational CitySites
Creating social connections across generations
In partnership with service-learning and community engagement programs at several Boston colleges and universities, we offer weekly intergenerational activities in public/affordable senior housing and senior centers. Participants decide what they would like to learn and do TOGETHER. On any given day, you will see older and younger adults playing games or cards, singing, dancing, doing arts and crafts, learning a new skill, or simply talking, sharing stories, and enjoying each other’s company in their preferred language.
Digital Dividends
Bridging the digital divide for older adults
Classes of 10-15 adults in public/affordable senior housing are given laptops and internet connectivity free of charge along with weekly training provided by LBFE staff and college students from our partner organizations. Digital Dividends was born from the COVID19 pandemic and aims to close the digital divide for isolated, low-income older adults. Participants learn basic to advanced tech skills based on their current knowledge, including Zoom, Google, Spotify, Gmail, and more. LBFE Boston partners with Senior Planet from AARP OATS for curricula in English, Chinese, and Spanish. LBFE Boston also offers Tech Cafes, an opportunity for older adults to stop by informal gatherings with their own devices, troubleshoot tech issues, learn a specific skill, and connect with those in their community.
Creative Connections
Nurturing creative expression through arts access
Many older adults living in public/affordable housing face barriers (logistical, economic, and linguistic/cultural) to accessing arts training. Through Creative Connections, LBFE-Boston seeks to overcome these barriers by bringing professional arts instruction to residents where they live, free of charge; providing materials and supplies; and offering linguistically and culturally informed content.
Gen2GenQ
Uniting the LGBTQ+ community through intergenerational conversations
Want to help build Boston’s LGBTQIA+ community across generations? Looking for friendships and social connections? Gen2GenQ connects college-age folx and older LGBTQIA+ people for conversation, support, storytelling, and activism. Contact Cynthia Wilkerson for more information.
Community Connections
We support one-time and short-term opportunities for intergenerational engagement. Previous examples include multi-week art courses, ice cream socials, and ongoing partnerships with schools and nearby assisted living facilities.