Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
Why are we talking about a Multi-generational Ethical Humanist Society?
We need multigenerational communities for so many reasons, but our culture conspires to keep the generations apart and isolate them from each other:
•We are more age-segregated as a society now than perhaps ever before.
•Younger generations of adults are more transient and mobile than previous generations.
•Older generations have moved out of the neighborhoods and into retirement communities or age 55+ neighborhoods, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, often not in the same town or state as their children or families, while children are further segregated in schools.
We need these multi-generational connections! The separation in our culture causes us to miss the insights, history, and perspectives of each generation. When contact with multiple generations decreases or is non-existent, we become less in touch with one another's physical, emotional, and social needs. And in turn we are diminished by the separation.
What would a truly multi-generational Ethical Culture Community look like?
It would be the ultimate committee of the whole: a community in which everyone is seen as teacher and learner; in which every age and stage of life is equally valued and equally supported by whatever tangible and intangible resources the community has to offer; in which every age and stage of life is allowed to contribute whatever tangible and intangible resources it has to offer; a community in which no decision is made about the life of the community—whether in the area of Sunday programs, physical plant, fundraising, budgeting, social action, the arts, education, or any other—without consideration of its impact on and opportunities for every member of the community.
What does our multi-generational Ethical Humanist Society look like?
Every age group is a participant, leader, and recipient of every part of the life of the Society (e.g., programs for ALL ages, care of ALL ages, social justice for and with ALL ages, governance including ALL ages, learning happening with many ages together both as teachers and learners). At the same time each generation is empowered, honored, and uniquely served (i.e., there are still programs unique to that generation). The NORM is a room filled with people of all ages who choose to be there because of a shared interest, such as singing, cooking, talking about books, planning for a fundraiser, talking about who to hire, or selecting good community-building games to play. Age-based groups can also form alongside of these multi-generational activities in order to meet specific needs or interests.
We need multigenerational communities for so many reasons, but our culture conspires to keep the generations apart and isolate them from each other:
•We are more age-segregated as a society now than perhaps ever before.
•Younger generations of adults are more transient and mobile than previous generations.
•Older generations have moved out of the neighborhoods and into retirement communities or age 55+ neighborhoods, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, often not in the same town or state as their children or families, while children are further segregated in schools.
We need these multi-generational connections! The separation in our culture causes us to miss the insights, history, and perspectives of each generation. When contact with multiple generations decreases or is non-existent, we become less in touch with one another's physical, emotional, and social needs. And in turn we are diminished by the separation.
What would a truly multi-generational Ethical Culture Community look like?
It would be the ultimate committee of the whole: a community in which everyone is seen as teacher and learner; in which every age and stage of life is equally valued and equally supported by whatever tangible and intangible resources the community has to offer; in which every age and stage of life is allowed to contribute whatever tangible and intangible resources it has to offer; a community in which no decision is made about the life of the community—whether in the area of Sunday programs, physical plant, fundraising, budgeting, social action, the arts, education, or any other—without consideration of its impact on and opportunities for every member of the community.
What does our multi-generational Ethical Humanist Society look like?
Every age group is a participant, leader, and recipient of every part of the life of the Society (e.g., programs for ALL ages, care of ALL ages, social justice for and with ALL ages, governance including ALL ages, learning happening with many ages together both as teachers and learners). At the same time each generation is empowered, honored, and uniquely served (i.e., there are still programs unique to that generation). The NORM is a room filled with people of all ages who choose to be there because of a shared interest, such as singing, cooking, talking about books, planning for a fundraiser, talking about who to hire, or selecting good community-building games to play. Age-based groups can also form alongside of these multi-generational activities in order to meet specific needs or interests.