TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks & Recreation Director
Eve Kelso, Recreation Services Manager
Jan Buike, Older Adult Program Supervisor
SUBJECT:Title
Request to Approve "We're Better Together," a City-Sponsored Event held by the Senior Advisory Committee and the Mayor's Youth Council on Encouraging Intergenerational Dialogue on December 6, 2014 at the Joslyn Community Center (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve "We're Better Together," a City-Sponsored event held by the Senior Advisory Committee and the Mayor's Youth Council on encouraging intergenerational dialogue on December 6, 2014 at the Joslyn Community Center.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with this event. Staffing and refreshments are in the existing Parks and Recreation Department budget. If additional advertising or refreshments are needed, the Senior Advisory Committee or Mayor's Youth Council will provide funding.
BACKGROUND:
On December 1, 2012 and December 7, 2013, the City of Manhattan Beach sponsored two free community events encouraging awareness of the City's history and providing a forum for residents to discuss their vision for its future.
The events included speakers and multimedia presentations in the morning, opportunities to learn about local community organizations at lunchtime, and break-out sessions in the afternoon. The discussions focused on themes rather than political issues and were inter-generational. Longtime residents were featured in the morning presentations, high school students from the Mayor's Youth Council led break-out discussions in the afternoon, and residents of all ages were encouraged to engage with one another throughout the day.
DISCUSSION:
The favorable reaction by residents to the 2012 and 2013 community events has prompted the Senior Advisory Committee and Mayors Youth Council to propose the continuation of intergenerational interactions through another community event. The event would be held on Saturday, December 6, 2014 at the Joslyn Community Center. The goal would be to talk about the importance of intergenerational City planning and explore examples of best practices in other cities and communities.
A volunteer planning committee for the proposed 2014 event has met five times to discuss potential dates, times, topics, and formats. The committee consists of Councilmember Lesser, former Manhattan Beach Unified School District Trustee, Manhattan Beach Planning Commissioner and Member of Mayor's Youth Council ,Nancy Hersman, Manhattan Beach Planning Commissioner and Member of Mayor's Youth Council, Penny Bordokas, Senior Advisory Committee Chair and retired Mira Costa High School teacher Kate Nelson, City Older Adult Program Supervisor, Jan Buike, and Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Commissioner Tom Allard.
The committee proposes a City-sponsored community event which would be similar to last year's event, free to the public, and include the following elements:
Date:
Saturday December 6, 2014.
Time:
Begin at 8:30 a.m. and end by 12 noon.
Location:
The Joslyn Community Center (excluding the OASIS Room)
Event Format
Subject to change, the format would consist of the following elements:
8:30-9:00 Coffee and Refreshments, Welcome
9:00-9:45: Freddi Segal-Gidan, PA-C, PhD, Keynote Speaker
10:00-11:30 Breakout Discussion Groups (3), each with a student and older adult facilitator, as well as a recorder.
11:30-noon: Large group comes back together. Freddi Segal Gidan, PA-C, PhD will lead the group in reporting on the discussions and talking about next steps.
12 noon: Event ends
Publicity
Publicity for the event will include:
1. A news release;
2. A poster advertising the event;
3. A listing on the City website; and
4. E-mail notice of event to the community through the Parks and Recreation Department's registration database
Staffing
Participation by Parks and Recreation Department staff will be limited to offering ideas at planning sessions, assisting with graphic art work, marketing, and setting-up and breaking-down the Joslyn Center on the day of the event.
Volunteers
Volunteers will continue planning the event and work with City staff for event coordination. Volunteer speakers will be included based on their expertise. Members of the Mayors Youth Council and Senior Advisory Committee will lead the break-out sessions.
Supplies
Beverages and light refreshments will be provided.
The volunteers planning the 2014 event believe the lively conversations at the past years' events suggest there is resident interest in intergenerational discussion and this will promote engagement of Manhattan Beach community members. The event is intended to attract older adults, high school students, and all those in between. It is anticipated attendees will come and go throughout the day as their schedules allow.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve "We're Better Together," a City-Sponsored event held by the Senior Advisory Committee and the Mayor's Youth Council on encouraging intergenerational dialogue on December 6, 2014 at the Joslyn Community Center.