Young and Old (YO) Mixer – YOmixer.com
The Netflix series “Stories of a Generation With Pope Francis,” (trailer) began streaming on Christmas Day, 2021. In the documentary series, Pope Francis says, “I think that, today, it is important that for the future of mankind young people talk to old people.”
The series inspired this multi-generation Young and Old “YO” Mixer event concept. The Pope’s message is a singularly simple and achievable call to action. The YO MIXER is in its simplest form a multi-generation party with food, drinks, and fun. The Social Protocols outlined below make this concept a little bit different from other events. The initial idea came from Charlie Szoradi, who watched the Stories of a Generation series between Christmas and New Years 2021. Charlie has a 12 year old daughter and 16 year old son, and they in conjunction with other family and friends have helped refine the concept outlined here.
YOmixer Event Name and Graphic:
The graphic “logo” for the event includes the circle of the “O” around the “Y” to symbolize the importance of parents surrounding their children with unconditional love, affection, and communications. The blue and green of the sphere represent the earth that holds and nourishes us all. The light source that is between the outstretched arms of the Y reflects the light of inspiration that energizes us with a love of learning and community participation.
YOmixer proof of Concept:
On Christmas Eve 2021, Charlie was at a cocktail party, hosted by a great friend, who he has know from fourth grade. He lives in Washington, DC, where Charlie grew up so it was a treat for Charlie to drive down from Philly for the event and also spend Christmas with his mother and other family friends. In preparing this mixer idea, it dawned on him that it was so fun at the cocktail party to catch up with his friend’s mother and also another friend’s father, who are both now over 75 years old. The ease of their conversations came in part from having connected with them at multi-generational social events way back when Charlie was in grade school and high school in the 1970s and 80s. Charlie thought that it would be great for his children to have the same positive experience…four decades from now.
One of Charlie’s high school friends has added to this concept the following. She eloquently wrote, “I love the idea, and it’s kind of sad that this sort of interaction doesn’t happen organically like it did in human history until around 2000 (beginning of “digital” social media). There is a broad cultural need for intergenerational exchange, interaction, connection, and bonding that all human cultures have organically incorporated into their societies until very recently. We know through science now that social connections make us happy, increase longevity (Blue Zones), reduce anxiety and depression, and improve overall health. It makes life richer and more meaningful – things that are disappearing in our instant gratification, blurb-focused, transactional culture. These type of YOmixer events can help re-establish and hone the disappearing skills of listening, and the art of conversation with equal give-and-take in a natural flow of topics and stories, resulting in connecting on a more intimate and personal level. I know many of us remember with deep fondness laughing hilariously in multi-generational groups at a dinner table, a sports event, a cocktail party, or on the beach. Inspiration has also come from listening to someone else’s personal experience or wisdom imparted no matter our age. Mentors are disappearing from our culture, but younger people need to feel someone older is watching out for them, has their backs, and are there as a sounding board when they need it. Older generations can feel like they are giving back and supporting the future generations in a meaningful way, and feel proud of sharing life stories and lessons. This is the Elder Great Gift to be bestowed, and the loss of this would be tragic.”
YOmixer SOCIAL PROTOCOLS
Please keep in mind that this event is a party FIRST. The intent is for everyone to have fun, laugh, and enjoy the food and drinks. The secondary intent is to create a springboard for the multi-generational communications. The protocol has multiple parts:
#1: No Phones
Sometimes kids get sucked into their screens, and this event idea includes a “No Screen Zone” where everyone, including parents have to leave their phones in their pockets or bags. Some of the adult invited guests may not have children, and they are equally important of the event, but also restricted from using their phones. I expect to host the event from about 6 to 8 pm, and I think we can all make it two hours without using our phones.
#2: The 3 x 10 Rule
Each of the school age children under the age of 18 should try to spend at least 10 minutes speaking to at least 3 adults, who they have not previously met. Equally, each adult should try to spend at least 10 minutes speaking to at least 3 students, who they have not met before. The goal of multi-generational interaction is also to limit conversations that are among guests of just one generation, and possibly discourage groups of more than 6, as some people may tend to dominate the conversation. Larger groups may inevitably form, which is totally okay, but the goal is to have as many one-on-one discussions as possible.
Some people are not as good at remembering names than others. So, YOmixer includes “HELLO” name tags, which are readily available at office supply stores. The name tags also provide a place to add a bit of personal information as a conversation starter. For instance, the name of the students school or something like a favorite country that you have visited or want to visit.
#3: Brain Prep
Don’t come empty handed in your noggin. Adults are requested to bring a funny or embarrassing story from their time in high school to share in conversations. This can also include things that drove them crazy by their parents. Students are requested to bring at least one brain teaser riddle to test the mental fortitude and savvy of the adults. All are welcomed to bring favorite jokes, so long as they are tasteful and not offensive in any way.
#4: Music
The Steering Committee will select the music and create a playlist. The SC will consist of four adults and four students. The playlist will run on shuffle and consist of music from the parent’s generation (in my case some classic rock, punk, and maybe some disco thrown in), and the student music choices will include music from 2015 to present. In advance of the event, guests are invited to submit songs for inclusion in the event playlist.
#5: Speakers
Each YOmixer event may include one or more speakers. Ideally, two speakers (one Young and one Old) would address their insights on a pre-selected topic where they have some personal or professional experience. Over the course of the two hour event, the intent is to have the speakers start about 45 minutes into the event and speak for less than 10 minutes each. As an example, the topic could be social media, with an adult speaking about how they may have used social media to their advantage for business and a student sharing experience about how they may have avoided pitfalls of digital overload. Too often speaking presentations are either for an audience of adults or for student. So, having multi-generational speakers hopefully serves as a catalyst to spark conversations following the speaker portion of the event. The speakers may come from the invited guests, and if high-profile speakers are available, they will be invited along with their respective children and/or spouses or significant others.
#6: Bonus (Optional) Party Gifts
It’s always fun to get gifts as well as give gifts. If you are hosting an event you could give a few T-Shirts with the “YO” mixer graphic, perhaps via a free raffle. We found a printer that has shirts made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled cotton. So, the apparel is eco-friendly and in line with a growing focus on sustainability, which is important to the Young and Old when it comes to environmental stewardship. We have included the link to learn more about the apparel and Order T-Shirts.
YOmixer Closing Thoughts:
This YOmixer may appear more complicated than it is, given that it is really just a party with kids and adults talking to each other, and no phones. The social protocols are a means to increase the odds of success.
For sustainable living, planetary wellness goes hand in hand with personal wellness. We are pleased to align with Acceler Fitness for exercise coaching and nutrition coaching for people of all ages.
We are also pleased to align with the nonprofit StudentFarmers.org
For YOmixer questions and feedback: Contact Us