1.2. Prosociality Programs: The Intergenerational Classroom and Cradles to Crayons
dementia
In the Intergenerational Classroom (iGen), approximately 25 students 11–12 years of age from the Saskatoon Public Schools District complete their 6th grade curriculum alongside senior care residents (referred to as “Elders”) in a local care home. Over the course of the school year, children are integrated into the Sherbrooke Community Centre, engaging in close and continued contact each day with senior residents, many of whom live with dementia and a variety of physical and intellectual conditions. These interactions facilitate daily opportunities for children to engage in both structured and spontaneous forms of prosocial behavior—from flipping the pages of a book for an Elder reading to the class to helping an Elder move from class to the cafeteria to have lunch. Throughout the school year, these daily prosocial activities may add up to help children develop an overall sense of purpose and meaning from their experiences with Elders—a potentially critical feature to unlock the positive effects of Intergenerational programs, including greater psychological well-being (see [Cradles to Crayons (C2C) is a non-profit organization that provides primary school-aged children with the opportunity to take a class field trip to package essential items for children living in poverty between birth and age 12. C2C collects children’s items (e.g., clothes, books, school supplies, toys) via community drives and corporate donations. These items are packed by volunteers in warehouses known as “Giving Factories” and distributed to local children who experience homelessness and low-income situations. Child volunteers spend part of their school day selecting and packaging the items that will be donated to another child in their community, giving children the chance to directly help someone in need over the course of a single afternoon.We focus on these two interventions for both practical and theoretical reasons. Practically, we have a working relationship with these two organizations, which have been conducting their programs for the past 7 (iGen) to 19 years (C2C). While each organization has much anecdotal evidence for the efficacy of their program, neither program has been scientifically studied, leaving ample room for systematic examination. Theoretically, these interventions use distinct yet overlapping approaches to foster prosociality in children. Critically, rather than limit children’s experiences of prosociality to simple discussion and educational curriculum like some programs (e.g., [Finally, both programs—either by design or facilitation—provide children with hands-on opportunities to help someone who may be quite different from themselves (e.g., older, differentially able, or from a different socio-economic status). It is often assumed that it may be easier or even more emotionally rewarding to help people who are like oneself. For example, some past work shows that school-aged children (aged 5–13 years) expect to be happier after helping similar others (e.g., [