About

Training new youth volunteers before they meet with seniors in care facilities can require a significant amount of time and resources from care facility staff. As of right now, there is no free, standardized and accessible training option to certify prospective volunteers. This is even more important in the case of memory care and dementia facilities.

Lifting Hearts with the Arts is partnering with seniors at care facilities as well as a research advisory board consisting of experts in the field of aging and intergenerational work to co-create online training modules. Topics include general volunteer training, ageism awareness, memory care community training and more. Modules consist of slides, digitally animated videos and videos from experts and seniors, and are followed by a short quiz that if passed, provides the user with a certificate of completion. After prospective volunteers complete and pass the module, they will receive a certificate and written summary of the module content that they can refer back to for additional information.

This program is currently sponsored by Innovation80. We are in the process of looking for more funding to maximize the research, impact and spread of the program. Our goal is to expand these modules to youth, care facilities for training and others, across the country, free of charge.

We are currently accepting applications for animation, video editing and filming internships through this link: https://forms.gle/NwZ4fhjj31DihLpL9 until December 21st.

Internship opportunity descriptions 

Interview filming 
Description: Students will be expected to travel to Chicago-area interview locations to film, record and upload interviews to a shared online drive. The student will be accompanied by the interviewer(s) at each location. We will provide 2 small microphones, a tripod stand and a camera at each location, but students are welcome to use their own camera if they prefer. 
Selection criteria: Students must be in Chicago for most of January. Preferably some level of filming experience.
Compensation: $500 stipend (assumes max ~20 hours of work at 15/hr plus transportation).
Timeline: Jan 2025

Film editing
Description: Students will be expected to direct production of the volunteer training module in collaboration with Lifting hearts team members based on recorded interviews. Students will develop and revise storyboards and splice content together to create a draft module. Upon feedback, students will then make revisions to the module. We are offering two film editing positions.
Selection criteria: Preferably some level of experience in film editing and access to editing software.
Compensation: $750 stipend (assumes ~40 hours of work at $18.75/hr)
Timeline: Jan 2025 - May 2025 (bulk of work from Feb - April)

Animation
Description: Students will be expected to produce professional-looking animation content for the volunteer training module. Animation serves as a way to share interviewee stories in an engaging format if they are not comfortable with video-recorded interviews. 
Selection criteria: Preferably some level of experience in animation and access to animation software.
Compensation: $600 stipend (assumes ~30 hours of work at $18.75/hr)
Timeline: Jan 2025 - May 2025 (bulk of work from Feb - April)
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Research Advisory board

​Lauren Cerino 
Technical Associate at the MIT AgeLab
Lauren's current research explores topics including longevity planning, social robotics, aging in place, and more. She also co-manages OMEGA, an intergenerational outreach program, and contributes to data management across various projects. Prior to joining the AgeLab, Lauren earned her BA in computer science and human development from Connecticut College, where she was involved in community outreach initiatives and early childhood programming.

​Jamie Mayer, Ph.D.
Associate professor in the Northern Illinois University School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Dr. Mayer currently researches treatment of adult neurogenic language disorders, aphasia assessment and treatment, gerontology, and enhancing communication and quality of life for individuals with dementia. She is a member of the national Music and Memory organization, and serves as the faculty mentor to NIU's Music and Memory student association, a group that aims to to improve quality of life for individuals with dementia living in long-term care settings.

​Krish Sardesai
MS3 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Hello! My name is Krish, a third-year medical student living in Kansas City, Missouri. Speaking with my grandparents in my native language, Konkani, is something so meaningful to me because of what communication allows us to do. Understanding one another, across generations, enables mutual appreciation of experiences and wisdom previously foreign to us, and nothing is as fulfilling as human interaction! Needless to say, I am thrilled to be a part of this LHA initiative! I enjoy playing basketball, spending time with my family, and reading books about social sciences. As a medical trainee, I enjoy researching bone metabolism as an aspiring orthopaedic surgeon. I am always very excited to be able to speak with and help treat my patients, from newborns to the elderly!