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From The Times Record, April 28, 2006
'It's not about space; it's about people'
BY JAMES M. MCCARTHY
Times Record Staff
BRUNSWICK
As he prepares for a May 11 forum on the theme A Community for All
Ages," Sig Knudsen doesn't to have engage in scholarly research to explain
what the concept means to him.
His memory provides a ready answer, one that's based on a conversation
he had once with an elder.
A few years ago he ran away from home on my boat," said Knudsen, who
is the executive director of the People Plus Center. Then he came back and
reconnected with the community of South Freeport. One day he was talking
with an older woman, recalling what it was like to grow up there.
I said, South Freeport is a wonderful place to grow up in,'" he
recalled.
To which his older friend replied, South Freeport is a wonderful place
to grow old in."
That conversation stuck. It stoked a vision of what he'd like to have
said of every Maine community that it's a great place to grow up in, a
great place to grow old in. He's hoping the May 11 forum at St. Charles
Borromeo Church in Brunswick will get a vibrant intergenerational
conversation going on how that vision might become reality in this town ...
and, for that matter, in any Maine town or city.
We're almost there, but we haven't embraced that as a whole
community," Knudsen said, citing recent citations of Brunswick touting it
as both a great place for retirees and a great place for its recreation
programs.
Knudsen said more than 300 community leaders have been invited to the
May 11 forum ranging from high school students to older citizens,
business owners and professionals to private citizens. They will be asked
to participate in small-group brainstorming sessions, in which participants
can share viewpoints, experiences and expertise with others in their group.
Nancy Z. Henkin, executive director of the Center for Intergenerational
Learning at Temple University, will be the keynote speaker. Richard
Morrell, co-chairman of the board of directors of Down East Energy, is the
honorary chairman of the forum.
Knudsen said he had breakfast with Henkin while attending a National
Council on Aging conference in Anaheim, Calif., and found her to be
engaging, dynamic and inspirational. The center that she works for, he
said, is dedicated to strengthening communities by bringing generations
together to meet the needs of individuals and families throughout the span
of an individual's life.
Among the characteristics of a community for all ages" identified by
the Center for Intergenerational Learning at Temple University:
It defines a place in terms of its entire population, considering all
ages and stages of life.
It explicitly focuses on strategies that promote cross-age
interaction and systems that are responsive to individuals and families
across all stages of life.
It focuses particular attention on young people and older adults as
resources to meet community needs; it seeks to strengthen the social
compact.
It encourages collaborative strategies across all age groups and
emphasizes a life span perspective" in developing programs and policies.
It recognizes population trends, promotes cross-generational advocacy
and de-emphasizes pitting young and old against each other in the
allocation of limited resources.
The Center for Intergenerational Learning finds that a community for
all ages typically has as its core values: interdependence, reciprocity,
individual worth, diversity, inclusion, equity and social connectedness..
It also offers:
- Support for caregiving families.
- Access to quality health care and social services to all ages.
- Opportunities for lifelong learning and lifelong civic engagement.
- Institutions with a life-span perspective.
- Promotion of meaningful cross-age interactions.
- Collaboration across systems and organizations, and physical
infrastructure.
Martha Cushing, a People Plus board member and chairwoman of the
Community For All Ages steering committee, says planning for the May 11
forum deliberately steered away from the oft-discussed issue of building a
multi-generational community center.
My feeling is that we've got enough going on in this town, in terms of
discussions about space,'" she said. It's not about space; it's about
people."
Knudsen agreed, adding that even if a multi-generational center is some
day built in Brunswick, he would hate to have it create a notion that the
work was done, that the town could then rest on its laurels.
What I hope will come out of this conference is that we will turn our
community leaders on about this concept, get some regular meetings going,
and continue discussing how we can bring generations together, how we can
break down barriers," he said. I can't think of a more perfect place to
launch this than Brunswick, Maine. It certainly has piqued some interest.
It's ringing true for people I've talked to."