Bridging the divide to improve academic performance
Often ranked as one of the best places to live in the nation, Rochester also faces many of the social challenges that characterize contemporary urban America. A key issue for the community is how to address the disparity in academic performance between its urban youth and those in the more prosperous suburban school districts.
At just 45%, the Rochester City School District’s graduation rate is significantly lower than the regional rate of 76% and the New York State average of 70%. Building on the belief that older adults, with their wealth of knowledge, time and experience, can impact youth development, the Rochester Area Community Foundation is engaging members of the baby boomer generation to address this issue of great local concern through Boomer Mentors, an initiative developed as part of the Community Foundation’s involvement with Community Experience Partnership (CEP).
The Rochester area’s rapidly expanding older adult population adds to its appeal as a resource to unleash. This population of people age 60+ is growing faster in Rochester than it is nationally. Through its initial CEP assessment, the Community Foundation uncovered specific aspects of volunteer opportunities that attract Rochester’s older adults.
These include:
- Intergenerational experiences
- Faith-based experiences
- Hands-on opportunities
- Opportunities to combine volunteer and social experiences
- Team or buddy assignments
As a result of the CEP assessment, and combined with its own working knowledge and understanding of the particular dynamics of its community, the Community Foundation identified and is engaged in work that recruits baby boomers as mentors for youth in both school-based and community-based settings. This work represents a good fit between the goal of engaging older adults and efficiently utilizing the capacities of the Rochester community.
