On Monday, in June , a group of New Hampshire 4-H members spent the afternoon serving their community in various projects aimed at bridging the gap between generations. The service project, held in Newmarket, NH, was a collaboration with the Sunrise Sunset Center, a local community hub that provides support and resources to seniors.
"We had a great time having them in the center for tech help and bingo!" said Program Director Bethany Henry about the 4-H youth volunteers. The center's seniors, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, welcoming the 4-H members to sit next to them and “try their hand at the game.” Over chat we had a teen message out to all “I am losing in Bingo AGAIN!”, which surely sent rumbles of laughter down Newmarket’s Main Street.
The 4-H members participated in a range of activities, including playing Bingo with seniors at Sunrise Sunset Center, donating non-perishable items from home for a food drive to go directly to the local pantry, and visiting home bound seniors to assist with various tasks. According to a 2023 report by Partner for Public Health, sense of belonging and sense of purpose are significant challenges for New Hampshire's aging population. The 4-H Thriving Model, which emphasizes these same components, provided a framework for the service project. The work of being a teenager is to question, learn, fail, but eventually to feel a sense of belonging and purpose. It struck the teens that this is something the population we were working with has lost to a certain extent.
One teen volunteer reflected on the experience, saying, "You know, a lot of what I did was my regular chores. But when I knew I was helping someone else who couldn’t do it… it just felt different." The Newmarket Food Pantry Gardens also expressed gratitude for the 4-H volunteers, who worked tirelessly in the heat to complete tasks and answer questions about their projects.
The partnership between New Hampshire 4-H and Sunrise Sunset Center highlights the importance of inter-generational connections in building stronger communities. As one staff noted, "I've heard excellent feedback about all of the 4-H folks yesterday," demonstrating the positive impact of the project on both the youth and senior participants.
