The research
Why Generations Connect works the way it does: two people, a generation or more apart, getting to know each other over six months or more. Each study sits beside the sentence it supports.
Why one to one
Across 148 studies of more than 300,000 people, those with stronger social relationships were 50 percent more likely to survive the years each study followed them.11Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B., & Layton, J.B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316. doi.org
For LGBTQ+ people, a review that pooled 167 studies of nearly 158,000 people found that those who felt connected to LGBTQ+ community had better mental health, greater well-being and better physical health, and feeling connected counted for more than turning up.22Lefevor, G.T., Sorrell, S.A., Skidmore, S.J., et al. (2024). When connecting with LGBTQ+ communities helps and why it does: A meta-analysis of the relationship between connectedness and health-related outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 150(11), 1261–1286. doi.org
Connection grows when particular people get to know each other over time, so we match two people instead of putting on events.
Why six months
In a study of 1,138 young people who applied to Big Brothers Big Sisters, the longer a match lasted, the more improvements they reported, and matches of a year or more did the most good.33Grossman, J.B., & Rhodes, J.E. (2002). The test of time: Predictors and effects of duration in youth mentoring relationships. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(2), 199–219. doi.org
Across 30 studies, having a mentor in your life went with better outcomes for young people, and the closer and more supportive the relationship, the bigger the difference.44Van Dam, L., Smit, D., Wildschut, B., et al. (2018). Does natural mentoring matter? A multilevel meta-analysis on the association between natural mentoring and youth outcomes. American Journal of Community Psychology, 62(1–2), 203–220. doi.org
So we ask each pair for six months to start, and a coordinator stays with every match.
Why two generations
In a national study that followed people into their thirties and forties, those who’d had a mentor as teenagers or young adults went on to more education, more volunteering and more close friends.55Hagler, M.A., & Rhodes, J.E. (2018). The long-term impact of natural mentoring relationships: A counterfactual analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 62(1–2), 175–188. doi.org
For LGBTQ+ young people, a close mentor went with finishing high school and going on to college.66Burningham, K.L., & Weiler, L.M. (2021). Natural mentoring and LGBTQ youth: A systematic review. Adolescent Research Review, 6(4), 391–407. doi.org
In a randomized trial of 702 adults aged 60 and over, an intergenerational program left them wanting to give more to the next generation, and feeling that they had.77Gruenewald, T.L., Tanner, E.K., Fried, L.P., et al. (2016). The Baltimore Experience Corps Trial: Enhancing generativity via intergenerational activity engagement in later life. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 71(4), 661–670. doi.org
Among 2,233 LGBTQ+ adults aged 50 and over, more community, support and connection went with a stronger wish to pass on what they know.88Jung, H.H., Emlet, C.A., Kim, H.-J., & Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. (2025). Predictors of generativity among SGM midlife and older adults. The Gerontologist, 65(4), gnaf023. doi.org
And when 495 LGBTQ+ people aged 17 to 80 were asked, they said sharing stories across generations mattered to them and wanted more of it. Those who valued it had a more positive sense of who they are.99Weststrate, N.M., Turner, K., & McLean, K.C. (2024). Intergenerational storytelling as a developmental resource in LGBTQ+ communities. Journal of Homosexuality, 71(7), 1626–1651. doi.org
Why New York
About 1.15 million adults in New York State identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual orientation, and among 18- to 24-year-olds that’s one in five. About 208,400 identify as transgender, genderqueer, gender-nonconforming, nonbinary or intersex.1010New York State Department of Health (June 2025). Sexual orientation and gender identity: Selected demographics and health indicators, New York State adults, 2021–2022. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Brief, Number 2025-16. health.ny.gov
The city has strong organizations for LGBTQ+ elders and for LGBTQ+ young people. SAGE’s Friendly Visitor Program, founded in 1979, sends volunteers to visit LGBTQ+ elders every week,11 and DOROT has run an online group where LGBTQ+ teenagers and older adults meet.1211SAGE, Friendly visiting in NYC. sageserves.org12UJA-Federation of New York (June 2022). Pride at all ages. ujafedny.org
Generations Connect brings the two generations together in person, one pair at a time.
What we measure
We’ll know it’s working when people feel less alone and more connected. Everyone in the program answers two short published questionnaires, one on loneliness and one on connection to LGBTQ+ community, anonymously, at the start, at six months and at twelve. We publish the totals here once a year.
Apply
We’re pairing people now, all over the city. The form takes about ten minutes, and a coordinator writes back within two weeks.
Need help right now?
- Call 911If you or someone with you is in danger.
- Call or text 988Anyone, any age, any hour.
- 1-866-488-7386The Trevor Project, for LGBTQ+ young people. Or text START to 678-678.
We’re a mentorship program, not a crisis service.