[Ongoing Project] Intergenerational Narrative Medicine Workshop

Stories comprise the substance of our lives, imparting meaning and enabling connection. Narrative Medicine holds that by engaging with and reflecting on our stories, creating a space in which new connections and relationships become possible – with ourselves and with others. Despite aging being a natural part of life and a part of more people’s lives, age segregation, ageism, and urbanization has increasingly led to tension and distance between generations. This workshop seeks to bring together a small cohort of undergraduate students, emeritus professors at Columbia, and older members of the Morningside Heights community in conversations through the narrative medicine workshop framework. Inspired by the class (Y)our Longer Life, the project's goal is to create more opportunities to foster intergenerational conversations and relationships.