Finding Their Voices: Sharing Stories Across Generations

The Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence recently staged its Intergenerational Story Slam, where participants shared stories they wrote at a performance at Van Vleck House & Gardens.

The April 23 event for friends and family was the culmination of a semester-long project led by Montclair High School English teacher Jessica Buel, in collaboration with Dory Hack, program director at MFEE, and Michelle DeWitt, senior citizen coordinator at Lifelong Montclair. 

Now in its fourth year, the project brought together MHS journalism students and senior citizens. Each student-senior pair met several times over a few months to interview and learn about each other, then write stories about how civic engagement has impacted each other’s lives. 

The intergenerational cohort also had guidance from Radi, a spoken word poet from Just Say It, who emphasized the importance of finding and trusting your voice, practicing confidence, taking up space, and being bold. 

“These lessons landed just as deeply with the seniors as with the teens. Finding your voice has no age limit,” said Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, MFEE’s executive director, who initially dreamed up the Story Slam with DeWitt.

The resulting stories were warm, authentic, and inspirational. They sparked smiles, laughs, and even a few tears throughout the evening. Students and seniors discovered they share many things in common, despite decades of age difference. Some themes included: 

• A shared sense of urgency to address problems in the world, 

• The importance of getting involved in your community as volunteers or activists, 

• And challenges presented by social media and the value of human interactions. 

"Our Intergenerational Story Slam is a testament to what storytelling is all about: making the ordinary extraordinary. When you listen to these profiles, you can identify personality in the words they share," Buel said. "But the most important piece for me is seeing the human connection during the interview process. This is what journalism and community engagement are all about."

At the performance, one senior talked about how a student’s deep love for photography stemmed from an experience getting to use a “professional camera” while they were a student at Edgemont Elementary School. That student is now president of the MHS Photography Club.

Another senior-student pair shared how they recommended movies they thought the other should watch between sessions, and then discussed them when they were together. 

Several seniors mentioned wanting to stay connected with the young people to see where their lives lead them. 

“These stories create incredibly positive feelings about our schools and our community,” Rodriquez-Vars said. “This night is always memorable, and this cohort of seniors and students certainly created a little magic!” 

This Story Slam is one of MFEE's "Arts Open Hearts" initiatives, which leverage the arts to boost social and emotional wellness for students in the Montclair Public Schools.

MFEE would like to thank MHS Principal Jeffrey Freeman and his staff for being so welcoming to the seniors throughout this project. And special thanks to our community partners at Van Vleck House & Gardens for sharing their beautiful space.