The Children & Elder Forest program promotes environmental preservation by building bridges between youths, seniors, and community groups. Based in McLean County in central Illinois, the nonprofit group plants native trees throughout area parks. The groves themselves prevent soil erosion, improve community life by increasing tourism, and increase property values. From this perspective, the project resembles forestation programs and efforts to create more natural public spaces in other urban areas.
More importantly, however, the project creates networks linking local nonprofit groups, area corporations and universities, and generations of residents. The effort expands the resource base of community groups, and allows colleges and companies to become good “citizens.” By building partnerships between children and adults, the group gives participants a chance to learn from one another and contribute directly to public life. Although the group recruits child/adult teams from families, it also works to pair people from senior centers with children. The program hopes that the inter-generational partnerships will combat what it calls ”Elder Deficit Disorder.” The trees serve as symbols of the connections between community groups.
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. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.
