Tulsa's Across the Generations Summit
Greetings,
Earlier this year, my wife, Victoria and I had the great privilege
of meeting and talking to our military families at a special Across
the Generations event at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. I was
honored and privileged to have met this special group of parents
and kids and was glad they had a break that was both meaningful and
entertaining.
I appreciate the Tulsa Air and Space Museum for making their
amazing facility available to us for this special event. Our great
friends at Tulsa Community College helped out by offering
complimentary chair massages for the parents and Subway stepped up
and provided lunch for the families.
We will be looking for more opportunities to honor and show our
appreciation for Tulsa area military families, whether it's a
special event, activity or program. I challenge area businesses,
organizations and non-profits to join me in this endeavor and show
our military families that their city supports them.
Best regards,
Dewey Bartlett
Mayor of Tulsa
* * *
Greetings,
On October 10, 2011, Tulsans gathered together for our
Across the Generations Summit. I want to extend my warmest
thanks to everyone who took the time to participate in our
day-long summit covering intergenerational planning. Please check
out our Across the Generations video for a look at Tulsa's first
intergenerational summit dedicated to listening, talking, and
dreaming a better tomorrow for our city.
Your participation in the afternoon's "Dream It" Visioning and
Planning Workshops was extremely helpful. If you have
additional comments about what you'd like to see happen in Tulsa,
you can still contact Susan
Bosak and let her know what's on your mind. The completed
Action Kit, reflecting additional community input and successes
resulting from the Summit will be made available in the spring,
2012.
On Nov. 9, I had the distinct pleasure of officially
opening the Dream Exhibit at the Tulsa Historical
Society, 2445 S. Peoria Ave. I invite Tulsans of
all ages to visit the Dream Exhibit and write your
own dreams and hopes for Tulsa's future on Dream Stars and
post them on the Dream Wall. The Dream Exhibit will be on display
at the Tulsa Historical Society Museum until the fall of 2012.
Tulsa is the first city in our nation to host the Dream
Exhibit. It is an exciting display that celebrates the power of
dreams and inspires us with artwork to achieve those dreams. The
Dream Exhibit is also part of our Across the Generations One City,
One Book program developed to start an intergenerational dialogue
and invite ideas from Tulsans of all ages.
Families, schools, and seniors groups are encouraged to read Susan
Bosak's award-winning book Dream. The book is illustrated
by 15 top artists from around the world and is a multilayered story
for children and adults about hopes and dreams across a lifetime -
from the time you're a baby to the time you're an older
adult.
Please check back here often for updates about our Across the
Generations initiative: be sure to check out the December
issue of Tulsa People: "Building bridges," by Stacy
Petitt.
You can also check Legacy Project's website for additional
information about Tulsa: www.legacyproject.org/tulsa
Join me in dreaming a better future for Tulsa because you're never
too old or too young to dream!
Best regards,
Dewey Bartlett
Mayor of Tulsa
Special Recognition
Mayor Bartlett offers his congratulations to Dr. Nancy
Henkin, Executive Director, The Intergenerational Center at Temple
University, Philadelphia, PA and a speaker at the October 10th
Across the Generation Summit.
The Eisner Foundation has announced that the Intergenerational
Center at Temple University was selected to receive the inaugural
$100,000 Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence in
recognition of its comprehensive and wide-ranging efforts to unite
multiple generations - especially seniors and youth - to bring
about positive, lasting changes in communities across Philadelphia
and beyond.
Thank You for Your Interest in the City of Tulsa's Across the
Generations Summit.
From the youngest to the oldest citizens, in all areas of
community development, the Across the Generations
Summit brought together Tulsans to listen, to talk, and to plan. We
can create a city that recognizes, respects, and meets the needs of
children, youth, and older adults to unite all generations in
support of one another.
Nationally recognized speakers shared innovative ideas from around
the world to address changing demographics. We encourage you to
share your ideas for a planning process that will ensure a strong
intergenerational future for Tulsa.
Why Now?
We're living longer than ever before. By the year 2030, one
in every five Americans will be over 65. This creates the
potential for rich intergenerational connections across seven or
more generations: your own generation, three generations before you
- parents, grandparents, great-grandparents - and three generations
after you - children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
The change in the generational landscape brings with it both
challenges and opportunities. The City of Tulsa has partnered with
the national Legacy Project, a multigenerational education project,
to create a model for Legacy Community Building that
addresses...
- Changing demographics
- Financial realities
- Environmental imperatives
- Social needs of all generations
Mayor Dewey Bartlett invited local leaders and advocates for
children, youth, and older adults to the October 10th event to
generate ideas for a comprehensive, shared intergenerational
agenda. Following the summit, the Legacy Project will create a
detailed case study of the Tulsa experience as a model for other
cities to take on the intergenerational legacy challenge.
"Aging is really something we do from the moment we're born," says
Legacy Project Chair Susan V. Bosak, one of the keynote speakers at
the Summit. "If we thought more about the whole of our lives,
rather than fearing and denying getting old, individuals and
communities would make different choices. This is about making
those different choices, and bringing young and old together in new
ways."
Community education is often a missing component in strategies
undertaken by other cities. Effective change is undermined by
ageist stereotypes. "The old often aren't seen as important,
relevant, or useful," says Bosak. "I've spent many years working
with all ages to help people understand that this isn't about
'them' - old people - but about you and us."
The Tulsa Across Generations initiative
includes a One City,
One Book education program featuring Bosak's book
Dream. The book, which has won 11 national awards, is
illustrated by 15 top artists from around the world and is a
multilayered story for children and adults about hopes and dreams
across a lifetime.
In an easily accessible format, it's designed to open an
intergenerational dialogue with all citizens. Young and old will be
invited to read the book and then share their dreams for a future
that brings together all ages in Tulsa.
This is your city - your legacy.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Tulsa Community Foundation | George
Kaiser Family Foundation
The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation | Helmerich and Payne |
Montereau
AARP | Dillon Family Services, Inc. | Senior Star Living |
Williams Companies
Tulsa Nursing Center | The Villages at Southern Hills
