Carisma Leyva
Staff Writer
We’re Better Together, an intergenerational community event sponsored by the Senior Advisory Committee and the Mayor’s Youth Council on Saturday December 6, included a keynote speaker as well as “breakout sessions” involving both seniors and youth in the community to promote intergenerational dialogue.
Through the past years, the Manhattan Beach City Council has been working towards breaking down barriers holding seniors from interacting with youth though programs like organized poetry reading and sharing, the Centennial Oral History Project, and other future projects. The event that took place from 9 am to noon, supported these thoughts and educated attendees.
“I think the fact that [the city council] is asking the youth about our input gives us a better say about what happens in the future of Manhattan Beach,” sophomore Elisse Friedman said. “I think the older adults are thankful to have us here, and we’re thankful to be here.”
After a formal introduction from council member David Lesser and a brief welcome from City Mayor Wayne Powell, speaker Freddi Segal-Gidan PhD brought forward a keynote presentation about the benefits of intergenerational socialization. Subsequently, seniors and youth broke up into three groups to discuss ways Manhattan Beach could further intergenerational projects.
“I think theres a lot of motivation on both sides,” Manhattan Beach citizen Sue Allard said. “All the high schoolers who came were terrific, but we need to find a way to get more seniors to participate.”
Segal-Gidan, former resident of Manhattan Beach and director of USC California Alzheimer’s Disease Center, also presented subjects relating to increasing intergenerational dialogue and decreasing existing ageism in the community.
“I’m glad to see that there is a genuine interest in this type of dialogue,” council member David Lesser said.
Some major benefits of intergenerational dialogue presented by Segal-Gidan and studied in smaller groups included improved physical and mental health as well as cohesive communities. For youth specifically, academic performances improved greatly. For older adults, meeting with younger generations has been shown to stimulate learning, increase emotional support, and decrease depression.
“What we’re doing not only benefits youth, but benefits the older adults in the later years of their life,” Friedman said. “I’m glad so see a lot of people I haven’t already met before here because this is such an important part of our community.”
Due to its success in bringing different generations together, Lesser has stated plans to continue similarly focused meetings. Long range goals will be created from these meetings and therefore will create a more wholesome city.
“This informative event was a great way to bring our community’s youth and older adults together to discuss common interests and issues,” Lesser said. “The input received will be very valuable in future City Council decisions.”
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