News Feature

11 Meaningful Ways Older Adults Can Volunteer Right Now11 Meaningful Ways Older Adults Can Volunteer Right NowJennifer LagemannForbes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/12/03/seniors-loneliness-solutions-technology-virtual-reality/

The Rice Business Plan Competition unveiled 54 startups that will showcase their business ideas at a virtual event next month. The competitors include five student teams from three Texas universities.

Among recent efforts, in 2020 two University of Texas students and a high-school senior created Big & Mini, a free video-conferencing service to match older and younger people who felt isolated because of the pandemic. Around 2,600 people have met on these phone or video calls.

By way of her faculty, she additionally labored with Big & Mini, a service that connects college students with older Individuals for cellphone or video chats. “Everybody got here out of their shell,” she stated.

I recently met Gayle, a high-spirited, 60-year-old Austin, Texas resident online. We found each other through Big & Mini, a free intergenerational video conferencing service started by three students in response to widespread shelter-in-place orders.

You can get through this dark pandemic winter using tips from disaster psychology

Big & Mini is a community that’s reducing isolation by helping to create intergenerational friendships.

While the pandemic continues to spread throughout the U.S., innovators — from all parts of the country and of all ages — are ushering in new ways to connect the generations, easing social isolation for both generations.

"There are many unknowns with how long our COVID-19 social isolation will linger. But one thing is for sure, Big & Mini will continue to be a space of community and connection." - Texas Engineer Magazine

I love my husband and my son. But I never expected that they would be practically my only companions for seven months in a row. 

Since COVID hit, we’ve been cooped up at home together.

“I’ve learned that kindness is at the heart of any successful entrepreneur. It is that one thing that is free and returns so much more than it costs. It truly makes a difference,” he wrote.

"I’m very introverted and hate awkward silences, so I was worried at first,” says Lee, “but the meeting went better than I expected.”

Check out this interview with Aditi Merchant about all about the ins and outs of our creation process, journey of growth, and plans for the future!

One of the first seniors to use the program had their call and it was 48 minutes long. She told us, 'Wow, my mini was so nice. Forty-eight minutes flew by in a minute.'

Five meetups later, the pair discovered they have a ton in common. Sabah, an engineering student at UT, discovered Leslie’s background in STEM.

Allen Zhou, 19, has learned a valuable lesson during the pandemic: People of all age groups can feel lonely — especially teens and seniors.

When Covid lockdowns began, a group of UT Austin students made it their mission to help people feel less alone.

Watch our founders and a couple of our matches on TODAY with Hoda and Jenna!

The little camera light at the top of the computer flickers green, and the video on the screen focuses to show two people, generations apart, smiling back at each other.

“Once quarantine ends, I think instead of viewing it as, ‘Okay, no need for this platform anymore,’ they're almost viewing it as, ‘I can finally meet you in person.’

The LaunchPad Fellows from Big & Mini may just be the youngest cofounders in the program. But that hasn’t stopped them from tackling a major coronavirus repercussion: the epidemic of loneliness.

We celebrate Americans from all 50 states. Texas: Connecting seniors and millennials. College kids stuck at home; seniors isolated in their homes—maybe they can help each other.

AUSTIN, Texas -- What do a 68-year-old and 19-year-old have in common? A lot more than you think. Carol Marak and Avery Gann have never actually met in person - in fact, they only met a few months ago. But now they talk almost daily.

It’s easy to make excuses that we’re too young or too old or don’t know what to do next. As leaders, we often need to simply step out and take action.