Wisdom of Weston creates intergenerational connection

What was the best day of your life? What is the most important piece of advice you’ve received? What lessons have you learned from your most challenging times?

These are some of the questions Weston’s older adults have received from high school students during the production of Wisdom of Weston, an interview series produced by the Friends of the Council on Aging and Weston Media Center.

Kim Dobson, a member of the Friends of the Council on Aging, said Wisdom of Weston is an initiative designed to bring two generations together through meaningful conversations.

“In its second year, we’ve really had a great reaction from the community,” Dobson said. “There’s this beautiful aspect of community building that comes from it.”

Wisdom of Weston pairs older adult volunteers, most of whom were recommended by previous participants, with Weston High School students, bringing them together for a recorded sit-down conversation in the Meetinghouse at Highland Meadows.

The high school students are provided with a list of up to 14 questions to get the conversation started. They usually meet their interviewee at the taping, which Dobson said creates some “magic.”

Chloe Brown, a junior at Weston High School, credited Jonathan Eldridge, the club advisor of the Student Ambassadors community service group, for sharing the idea of participating in Wisdom of Weston with her and her peers.

She said she was intrigued by the prospect of connecting with the town’s older generation, and having a chance to get to know an older adult reminded her of spending time with her great-grandfather.

“It reminded me of him, and it was a good way to reconnect with that part of my life,” Brown said.

Brown interviewed Tack Chace, who she said shared a story about realizing that he didn’t have to work at his father’s business. Instead of resigning himself to staying in that job, Chace went back to school and became a teacher.

“It made me relax a little bit in the sense that, I think, a lot of young people get stressed out that they need to commit to one thing,” Brown said. “That made me kind of realize that I’m free. I have free will and I can switch jobs when I’m older; I’m bound by nothing.”

Stephanie Keane, director of the Council on Aging, said there is great value in bringing the town’s older and younger citizens together in conversation.

“Intergenerational programming helps build a stronger, more connected community by bringing people of different ages together to share experiences and learn from one another,” she said.

To celebrate Wisdom of Weston, the Friends of the Council on Aging are hosting a fundraiser to bring the community together to enjoy some wine, cheese, kid-friendly snacks and a 15-minute “sizzle reel” highlighting some of the best interview moments of the year. Additionally, the Friends create a coffee table book collecting the wisdom shared by Weston’s older adults.

The celebration will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Weston Golf Club, 275 Meadowbrook Road. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door and are $75 for adults and $25 for children.

All proceeds support the Council on Aging’s effort to provide communication technology to allow homebound older adults to participate in programming. Keane said the COA expects to purchase the DTEN videoconference system, which will increase accessibility to programming.

“By incorporating remote programming through the DTEN system, we can engage more people, including those who are unable to physically attend due to mobility challenges, health concerns, immunocompromised conditions or even undesirable weather conditions,” Keane said.

She added that program offerings include topics such as history, walking tours, art appreciation, health and wellness, among others, and this technology will allow more people to participate.

“Expanding access in this way not only increases participation but also raises awareness of all that the Council on Aging has to offer, ensuring older adults know where to turn for resources and support when needed,” Keane said.

For more information about Wisdom of Weston, visit westonfcoa.org/the-wisdom-of-weston.