According to SAGE Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ+ Elders, there are an estimated 3 million queer older adults in the United States, a number that is projected to reach 7 million by the year 2030. Furthermore, 53% of LGBTQ+ older adults report feeling socially isolated, indicating a great need for programs that promote social connectedness for this group.
Similarly, as reported by the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 69% of LGBTQ+ college students reported feelings of loneliness or isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 59% of their heterosexual peers. On the other hand, research by The Trevor Project identified witnessing “happy LGBTQ elders” (in person, via stories in social media, etc.) as something that inspires joy in LGBTQ+ youth.
So, why not bring these groups together?
Pairs with Pride (PwP) was created to provide a space for one-on-one intergenerational friendships between LGBTQ+ older adults and college students to flourish. Pairs are individually matched based on shared identities, interests and backgrounds, and then meet weekly. Through the program, we hope that LGBTQ+ elders and college students can learn from one another, create safe spaces for each other, and find joy and meaning in the time they spend together.
About Pairs with Pride—The Logistics
Pairs with Pride is an offshoot program of Perfect Pair, a nonprofit that pairs college students one-on-one with older adults to foster intergenerational friendships across 20 different college campuses nationwide. Using Perfect Pair’s existing infrastructure and volunteer repository, PwP has launched in-person through the chapters of Perfect Pair at the University of Michigan, Ohio State University and Loyola University, and virtually for LGBTQ+ older adults nationwide. Eventually, we hope to launch PwP to all of Perfect Pair’s chapter locations!
At the local level, PwP is supported by the on-site college student leadership at the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Loyola University Chicago college chapters. These chapters each have an established executive board that will support the recruitment, operations and programming for PwP.
Before starting PwP, both members of the matched dyad will complete training to learn more about how LGBTQ+ culture and language has evolved across different generations. Older and younger adults will cultivate mutual mentorship, sharing their identity and how it was and still is shaped by their cultures and backgrounds. PwP also will combat social isolation and loneliness for both parties by facilitating a deep, meaningful relationship between pairs.
Behind the scenes, PwP chairs at chapter locations will work on creating the perfect pairs, via a careful analysis of applications. After pairs are created they will meet weekly either in-person or on Zoom. Pairs will have space to just talk with each other—sharing about their lives, their days, and everything in between. In addition to relationship-building, pairs also will be able to re-engage in old passions or create new ones.
‘The main theme? Centering queer joy—for elders and young adults alike.’
Through Perfect Pair’s general programming, matches will have access to activities, such as language learning, book and art clubs, canvas painting, photography and more. PwP also offers special programming on queer identity and history. Pairs will have opportunities to collaboratively document personal histories and shared life experiences via written memoirs, podcasts, videos or other multimedia projects.
PwP advertises opportunities for pairs to get involved in advocacy, including policy work, community meetings and career development. Pairs also can participate in intergenerational group activities, where multiple pairs have space to offer guidance on navigating challenges related to identity and different stages of life, or to share experiences.
In larger PwP cohorts by city, all participants will come together for events such as drag shows, queer theater, gender-affirming sports and team events, and partnering with queer-owned restaurants for cooking classes and food tours. These activities will be chosen by each city’s cohort—what matters to them and what they want to share with one another. The main theme? Centering queer joy—for elders and young adults alike.
Funding PwP is an offshoot program of Perfect Pair. Funding for this program is diverse—supplied through peer-to-peer funding campaigns, local and national grants, single-person donations, corporate sponsorships, and apparel and merchandise sales.
PwP also was fortunate to receive the Eisner Prize Fellowship, designed to support leaders pioneering innovations in intergenerational connection, which has been a large source of funding for the program in its inaugural year.
Outreach
Pairs with Pride has connected with 15 LGBTQ+–affirming organizations across Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Columbus, such as the Center on Halsted, The Intergenerational Dialogue Project, Love Boldly, and MiGen, to help us build a strong and inclusive community. We are excited to engage younger and older adults, with their support, to engage in advocacy workshops, local LGBTQ+ community events, and even explore their creativity through art. Additionally, we are collaborating with LGBTQ+ centers at Loyola University Chicago, University of Michigan, and The Ohio State University to expand our outreach to younger adults.
Through our efforts, we have recruited 12 participants—six older and younger adults—throughout Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Columbus. In less than a month, we are proud to have already made four matches in Chicago, and we are looking forward to having more perfect pairs!
Evaluations
Perfect Pair uses pre- and post-surveys to evaluate program outcomes. For PwP, we have edited our traditional surveys, tailoring them to address LGBTQ+ concerns such as participant connectedness to the LGBTQ+ community, support in their identity, etc. Some examples of pre-survey questions are (responses are given on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree):
- I feel like I have close ties to the younger/older generation
- I serve as a mentor in my community
- I feel a sense of belonging and camaraderie within the LGBTQ+ community
- I feel a sense of connection to different generations in the LGBTQ+ community
Pre-surveys are included in the Match Applications participants complete to be matched into the program, and post-surveys will be given after 6 months of the pairs meeting with each other to measure if the older and younger adult participants have benefited from their time together, as well as to continually improve our program.
We also collect weekly meeting “Volunteer Logs” about their experience in the program. These logs are read by our team to look at weekly data about participant’s enjoyment of the program, as well as what we need to change to better support the program.
Only the beginning…
We are so excited for our first PwP matches to begin meeting soon, and we look forward to seeing the program grow! The level of interest and support we have received is overwhelming. From community centers, to SAGE, to individual care workers who have helped us coordinate with older adults, we are so grateful for the support that has been extended to us in this journey. We are energized daily by the joy of our volunteers and inspired by their dreams for what Pairs with Pride could become; there are so many good things ahead!
If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to us via email at pairswithpride@perfectpair.org.
Emily Lerner is Perfect Pair’s executive director and a doctorate of Medicine candidate at the University of Michigan Medical school in Ann Arbor; Laura Miller, LMSW, is Perfect Pair’s national program director in Kansas City; Priyanka Patel is Perfect Pair’s National Pairs with Pride coordinator in Chicago; Elizabeth Rueppel is Perfect Pair’s vice executive director and doctorate of medicine candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York City; and Samiya Manocha is Perfect Pair’s director of operations and doctorate of medicine candidate at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Photo caption: A Perfect Pair match at Loyola University, Chicago.
Photo credit: Corin Friese
