Engaging All Ages

How would you cultivate a deeper relationship with the community you’d like to serve?

In Iowa, the percentage of older people in the population is rapidly growing. Baby boomers are moving to a new stage in life (by 2030, they'll all be 65) and older generations are staying healthy longer. But younger generations are leaving the state for more opportunity--or they just leave to get out of Iowa. I want to enrich the sense community here by creating events that bring Generation X and Y together with the Baby Boomers and beyond. Regardless of age, every human deserves respect and social inclusion. I envision programs that encourage multigenerational interaction and dialogue. Not only do I want people of all ages to feel welcome at these events, I want them to participate and engage with one another. When people from generations at opposite ends of the spectrum come together, I want them to see the value in what the other brings to society. As these events do their work, I hope that people of all ages stop feeling "stuck in Iowa," and start feeling "lucky to be in Iowa."

How would you use the $1,000 to turn your idea into a reality?

Events and programs I envision are infused with the energy & progressiveness that embodies younger generations, mixed with the distinction & class that older generations possess. This inaugural event serves as benchmarking for what kinds of things people would be interested in for the future. At the inaugural event there could be a chef doing cooking demos. If people express interest in it, a future event might be older generations teaching younger generations how to cook something. Or there could be a digital station with photo booths to upload photos directly from the event. As younger people flock to it, there will also be volunteers on-site helping others. This may pique boomers’ interest in digital workshops offered in the future.

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