On July 24-26, 2024, along the shore of Lake Chautauqua, NY, twenty environmental activists gathered to learn how to share their climate journeys across generations. This Intergenerational Storytelling Project was a partnership of Third Act, Planet Forward, and the Chautauqua Institution, designed to capture the insights of elders and youth and catalyze climate action.
As workshop developers noted, in describing what participants had to learn from each other, “Some [of you] will look back on years, maybe decades, of life experience as you take stock of the present and the future. Your life trajectory has provided you with rich stories and clear lessons that provide context, texture and understanding. Others will have less history and more of a future perspective. You still have experiences, stories and ideas, but [yours will be] looking ahead because that’s where you’ll live and where you’ll make your mark.”
The ten intergenerational pairs included parents and children, students and teachers, and some who were meeting each other for the first time. On Tuesday, July 23, journalist Frank Sesno, Founding Director of Planet Forward at George Washington University, led pairs through a workshop on how to conduct interviews. After conducting preliminary interviews, three pairs were selected to share their interviews at a public event on Thursday, July 25. All ten pairs recorded their stories to be part of an online “StoryCorps” for the climate, which will be available later this year.
The pairs comprised members of TA Upstate New York and TA Faith, elders and young people from the Chautauqua community, and high school students from Dryden and Carthage, NY, who were identified through focus groups that TA Upstate NY held with high school green teams.
Participants also met and were inspired by TA Founder Bill McKibben. On Wednesday, he and Frank Sesno offered the morning lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, discussing what both elders and young people bring to climate activism and how they can work together to make significant change. McKibben also took part in an info session about TA Faith and a “Town Hall” chat, then joined the workshop participants for a pizza party on the lakeshore.
Third Actors and students met informally for breakfasts and dinners, sharing experiences and learning from each other. All participants came away inspired by the time they spent together and the commitments they saw in other generations.
Ave Moore, a 2024 graduate of Carthage High School, said, “It felt good to see older generations actually take action and help the youth and elevate our voices. We so often feel like we are silenced or invalidated by our elders, so seeing Third Act members and getting the chance to interview them was an uplifting experience.”
Jonathan London of TA Upstate NY was equally impressed with the young people, “who brought new and different perspectives and insights.” London noted, “I am inspired to work harder. My meditation practice is perfectly suited to do this with open-heartedness, and will help impact the work we do.”
Patty Werner, a member of TA Faith, traveled with her daughter Wendy from Colorado to take part in the events. A junior at University of Colorado, Wendy enjoyed learning from Sesno how to conduct good interviews, having pizza with Bill McKibben, and learning about the climate work the other young people are doing. Patty was delighted to hear from Bill several times in one day. “In each of those settings, he presented more depth about the urgency and importance of working together across generations to find solutions to environmental problems. I learned a lot and loved every minute,” she said.
The conversation between Bill McKibben and Frank Sesno is available on the Chautauqua Institution streaming platform (small monthly fee required). The coordinators hope to further develop the model for use by other intergenerational groups.
The project also served to recruit new members to TA. Audience members approached Third Actors after each presentation to ask how they could join the group. About 130 people attended an information session on TA Faith, and some signed up on the spot.
We are grateful to Mark Wenzler, Peter Nosler Director of the Chautauqua Climate Initiative, for hosting and coordinating the project, and to the Chautauqua Institution, Third Act, and Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith for providing funding.
