Social Connection Program InternAt — Mission 3:10

The Caching Memories program virtually connects students to older adults in need of social connection, providing them with an avenue to reminisce, share their life stories, and improve their sense of connection to the world around them.

The program will equip students with training focused on communication styles with older adults, Reminiscence Therapy, and coaching on how to evoke meaningful stories from the older adult - teaching students to engage with the older adult as a human being, and the importance of building a relationship and meeting someone where they are.

The program is volunteer-based and completely remote/virtual. We can track volunteer hours if you need them for academic internship course.

How it works:

• Students are matched with an older adult
• Pairs connect weekly for 8-10 weeks
• All connections are virtual via phone or computer
• Older adults receive a book containing their life stories at the end of the program

The program is available and in need of volunteers year-round.

Participating students will connect weekly with an older adult via phone or virtual platform for 8-10 weeks.

All phone sessions will be conducted through Mission 3:10's contact center system and students will log in to the contact center system to perform their sessions, providing a secure and consistent connection method for every call. All calls will be recorded for quality assurance.

All participating students are required to complete and submit post-session reflection prompts describing their sessions with their older adult and the stories discussed. These submissions will be utilized in the creation of a book for the older adult that will be gifted to them at the end of the program. If students are interested in creating the book for their assigned older adults, they are able to do so.

Training & Learning Outcomes:

Our team will train students using program-specific curriculum and will be available for continuous support throughout the program. Training will cover:
· Communication skills that span across generations
· Engaging with individuals in a virtual setting
· Relationship building skills
· Reminiscence Therapy
· Conversation initiation and evoking storytelling

All program training is virtual and self-paced. Additional resources are included on our volunteer site, such as a Conversation Guide that outlines discussion topics, follow-up questions, and more. Our team also holds optional virtual meetings throughout the program that students can join to ask questions and enjoy the support of other peer volunteers participating in the program.

Learning outcome:

By the end of the academic internship, the student will be able to:
• Communicate and build rapport with older generations
• Utilize Reminiscence Therapy
• Perform vital communication and relationship-building skills
• Practice person-centered care versus disease-centered care
• Master storytelling methods
• Engage in delivering more personal care by connecting with a different generation
• Reflect on lessons from older generations
• Earn volunteer hours with flexible remote service-learning