The Elder Connection Project

Building Resilience through Intergenerational Mentoring

With adults aged 65 and older projected to soon outnumber children under 18, universities face an important question: How can students be prepared to engage meaningfully and work effectively across generations?

Workforce shortages in nursing, social work, psychology, medicine and other disciplines already signal the urgency. Yet, many students enter college with negative perceptions of older generations shaped by stereotypes and ageism. Changing these views is critical—not just for career readiness, but for nurturing a society that values resilience across the lifespan.

At Baylor University, Dr. Jocelyn McGee of the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work has developed an innovative course for students from varied majors and degree programs—Aging and Mental Health—that addresses this challenge. At the heart of the course is The Elder Connection Project, a unique mentoring initiative that brings undergraduate students together with people who are 65 years and older and residing in independent and assisted living communities—with the goal of building relationships that reveal the power of resilience in aging and across generations.

The Project

Created and led by Dr. McGee, The Elder Connection Project pairs students with adults age 65 and older in local residential communities for four weeks of guided conversation and relationship-building. Students meet weekly with their mentors, sharing stories, perspectives, and life lessons.

The project is grounded in Dr. McGee’s model of mutual mentorship across generations, which emphasizes that every generation has wisdom to give and receive. Adults age 65 and older contribute resilience, long-term perspective, and lived experience, while students bring energy, cultural insights, and fresh ideas. Together, they co-create a dynamic exchange of knowledge, meaning, and strength.

What Students Experience

Over four semesters (2021–2025), 86 students from varied majors participated, sharing reflections that highlighted ways resilience can be nurtured through engaged learning opportunities such as the Elder Connection project. 

• Mutual Enrichment: Students realized that strength flows both ways. “While the elders said the project fulfilled them, it fulfilled us as students more.”
• A Sense of Community: Many students were struck by the vibrancy of residential communities. “It didn’t feel like a retirement home—it felt like a giant family.”
• Reframing Aging: Students replaced assumptions of decline with examples of humor, adaptability, and grit. “Before this class, I thought aging was a rough experience—but I learned about the joys that come with it.”
• Emotional Resilience: Students said that this contributed to their own emotional resilience and experienced gratitude and hope. “It has been a long time since I felt so much happiness and positivity in one room.”
• Cultural Wisdom: The project expanded students’ awareness of how different cultural traditions support and honor elders through challenge and change.
• Desire to Serve in the Future: Many students said they left the project committed to carrying the lessons they learned into their own lives and careers. “I learned so many life lessons that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Why It Matters

The Elder Connection Project is more than a class assignment—it is a powerful model of how intergenerational connection fosters resilience.

For students, the project provides living examples of how adults age 65 and over adapt, persevere, and find meaning through life’s challenges. They discover resilience as a practical, embodied resource that can sustain them in their own personal and professional journeys.

The project offers provides meaningful opportunities for residents to mentor younger generations, share stories of resilience, and remain engaged in community life. These exchanges affirm dignity, purpose, and the enduring ability to grow and contribute at every age.

Together, narrative of resilience that transcends generational divides are co-created—by students and residents—building empathy, mutual respect, and a shared understanding of what it means to flourish as we age.

Building Bridges Across Generations

Through her vision and leadership, Dr. McGee has created a program that strengthens university-community partnerships and redefines how students learn about aging.

The Elder Connection Project reminds us of a simple truth: Resilience is not bound by age—it is revealed in relationship. Every generation is both teacher and student.

✨ Deep gratitude to Stilwell Retirement Residence and The Delaney at Lake Waco for walking alongside us in partnership, and to the residents whose strength, openness, and life stories have woven the heart of this project