The first day of Remembering Forward was amazing! We had 26 volunteers from a range of religions, cultural backgrounds and of course ages! I was overwhelmed by the volume, especially because I expected only about 20 participants. I was really surprised also by the positive experience of all the participants. Comments include: "This program changed my life" said one student; one senior said: "Barrakat Fiqhi," which means in Arabic, "May God reward you." Here are some pictures from the magical afternoon with students and seniors at the Sterling Residence!
This senior-student pair was particularly beneficial.The student, was surprised that she was meeting a nani (grandmother) from the same city, same country as her. I'm not sure what the students expected from the day's event, but I certainly expected that the students would be the most diverse people in the room. To my surprise, there were 3 residents who were from Pakistan, and Egypt! It was beautiful to be with them, to feel a sense of commonality because our faith was a unifying force between us. As a facilitator, I led the group through the activities but I also observed how they responded to each other. This particular pair clicked because they were from the same country, the same religion, the same city etc. But here is an example of another pair that clicked even though they were from different cultures and religions. In the picture, the resident drew Rafia in a beautiful purple scarf, and Rafia drew her partner as she saw her, as a beautiful woman in pearls. Each woman did a fantastic job with her art!
I administered evaluations at the end of the program to assess the need or desire to continue a program like this. I wanted to data to support my claim that this is a important program that requires attention from the press and the larger community of Piscataway. Here are some of the comments from youth and seniors:
"Excellent!! A surprise connection & experience!!" - EK (resident)
"Spending time with seniors can be quite fun" - student
"I enjoyed this session and would like to attend others -- I learned a lot" - resident
"Senior citizens have so much to offer" - student
"I hope we have it again." - a resident
"[I learned] that spend your time wisely and get good education." - Hira, age 13
"One thing I really enjoyed was talking to a young person" - resident
" I learned about the interesting lives of the residents" - Dhara, age 16
"I learned that strangers can become quick friends" - Rafia, age 17
"I learned that together--no matter what the age-- people can have fun and make a difference" - student, 15
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