Connecting Generations Through Literacy: Reflections from the 2025 Experience Corps National Meeting

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By: Lily Liu, AARP Historian Emerita

The 2025 AARP Foundation Experience Corps National Meeting has just concluded after three days of enjoyable mingling and mixing, learning, and FUN! As a volunteer in attendance, I wanted to share a personal “chronicle” with some highlights of the inspiring experience I had in Washington, D.C.

Several of the 1,200 Experience Corps volunteers who attended the National Meeting were there in person and many more participated virtually in two days of programming filled with a variety of excellent speakers and meaningful activities. The theme of the event, “Celebrating 30 Years: Connecting Generations Through Literacy,” set the festive tone in the conference room as well as online.

I believe all attendees particularly enjoyed the focus during the first afternoon on the history of Experience Corps. Hearing the reminiscences of founding experts and early leadership helped us all to reflect on how far the program has come in 30 years. Experience Corps was first established in 1995 in close collaboration with the National Senior Service Corps (a former program of what’s now called AmeriCorps Seniors) and with researchers from The Johns Hopkins University .

Three decades later, Experience Corps continues to deliver the “win-win-win” positive outcomes envisioned at its beginning: 1) empowering and enhancing the lives of individuals over 50 who serve as tutors, 2) helping young students become better readers by the end of third grade — a skill that helps keeps them off the path to poverty, and 3) strengthening our communities and society at large by improving children’s literacy and fostering intergenerational ties.

I especially enjoyed hearing the insights of two Experience Corps volunteer tutors, Jill Jackson of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Jerry Stabley of Pinal County, Arizona, who engaged in a chat with AARP Foundation President Claire Casey. (Notice I didn’t say “fireside chat” as the temperature in D.C. topped 100 degrees each day!) Both Jill and Jerry acknowledged the sense of purpose they gain as volunteers in their communities. I recognize that key reasons for how successful the tutors are include the extensive training offered, ongoing evaluation of the program by community partners and AARP Foundation staff, the sense of community built through peer networks such as the Volunteer Meet-Ups as well as other meaningful engagement activities.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to speak over lunch and during breaks with the program partners who came from all across the United States and who have been key to the success of Experience Corps. Volunteer Manager Kaitlin Burks of Achieve Pinal in Pinal County, Arizona, kindly joined in the fun when volunteer tutors gathered to dream about what the next 30 years could hold for this program. Kaitlin agreed with volunteer Connie Cothran, who felt this future-defining exercise “was the absolute perfect conclusion to my volunteer experiences at the AARP Experience Corps National Meeting.”

And I wholeheartedly agreed with the closing remarks that Experience Corps Manager of Program Implementation Ashlea Dowden, MPA shared as the last session drew to a close: “Our 2025 National Meeting realized the vision – actually, exceeded – the vision I had for this gathering of our entire Experience Corps family.”

As everyone traveled home, I think the words of first-grader Kynslie Harris, an Experience Corps student from Georgia, continued to echo in our ears, and in our hearts. Kynslie’s big smile and happy voice was the last image of the beautiful celebratory video, “30 Years of Impact,” that premiered on the first day of the National Meeting: “Happy Anniversary, Experience Corps!”

And I’ll add, “Here’s to many more!”