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Does Life Get Harder as You Get Older?
by Myles Crane
The above question was posed by an 8th grade student during the recent Intergenerational Conversations (IgC) event at Compass Community Collaborative School in Fort Collins. On Saturday morning March 30, an estimated 80+ attendees aged from 13 years old to 94 participated in discussing "You, Me and the Future of Our Natural World".
PAFC's Martha Conant, the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board, teacher Emmannuelle Roussel from the Compass school and Professor Martin Carcasson from CSU's Center for Public Deliberation and student Liam Bureau helped coordinate this event sponsored by the above four organizations.
Before conversations started, Compass School Principal Bobby Young gave PAFC and guests an overview and quick tour of the Compass school. Then Dr. Carcasson laid out four ground rules: 1. Be honest and respectful. 2. Listen to understand. 3. It's okay to disagree. 4.Be brief so that everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Feedback that we received from attendees was that IgC was a "kick", "so much fun",
"what a wonderful experience" and "can't wait for the next one". Also, Stella Goldberg, a 94-year-old British-born mom of Diane O'Neil, a PAFC volunteer, wrote the following poem for this event - KEEPING IN TOUCH - which she read aloud to all attendees:
Keeping in Touch - by Stella Goldberg
" We may think that living apart
from the people we once knew
will be strange and lonely
with friends so few.
Many of us are spouse survivors
and therefore need to keep in touch
with others who have active lives,
and care so very much.
We are never truly alone,
if we reach out to others
with a smile, or
sometimes on a phone.
Days come and go, and at times we
think and remember loved ones,
that we have forever lost...
yet our memories must not
hamper us at any cost.
Let's keep in touch with others
and do all we can
to find a measure of courage
whether we are a woman or a man.
Amen"
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