Chairs and tables were placed in the park, encouraging people of all ages to gather.
AARP:Why did SEMAAC create the Elders Story Cafe?
Toy:One of the principles of SEAMAAC is to draw on the wisdom of elders.
There are lessons of resilience foreveryonein what they’ve been through.
And it’s valuable for older immigrants to express their experiences.
That’s why we created the multi-generational gathering spot in Mifflin Square Park and launched the story cafe program.
Its an informal setting where people of all ages and backgrounds can feel comfortable going and connecting with others.
One Vietnamese woman described escaping across a river from men firing guns.
She almost drowned and her brother was killed.
She wanted everyone to understand her thankfulness about being in America.
We document all these stories.
Its like a family celebration with kids running all around.
How do you get the newer residents to participate and feel comfortable in their new neighborhoods and city?
And they’re often more dependent on their children than other groups are.
Among immigrant households, some have just arrived from Bhutan, Myanmar and Indonesia.
Those from Southeast Asia, mainland China, Taiwan, Pakistan and Korea are more established in the city.
While we love the diversity, it comes with additional challenges.
A few years back, SEAMAAC began what we call the Elders Gathering.
Toy:A livable community provides a safety net for people who need help.
A livable community has people who look out for one another.
When people care about each other they take better care of the neighborhood they share.
Communities need places where people can gather.
People need a sense of being connected.
Those locations create a sense of community and sense of place.
High levels of participation make communities vibrant, weaving a strong social fabric together.
AARP:Whats been accomplished in making Philadelphia more age-friendly?
What still needs to be done?
There are more transit options in many neighborhoods.
The parks have more benches.
And weve increased the supply of affordable senior housing, although theres still a need for more.
We’re now trying to refine our zoning code to make it easier for everyone to age in place.
AARP:Has your thinking about community challenges and solutions changed over time?
But weve made some progress.
Ive seen neighborhoods I thought would take centuries to come back and now they are vibrant.
But other neighborhoods still suffer from social disconnection and disinvestment.
The art of community building is understanding that everyones lived experience matters and can be helpful to getting results.
How do we get people engaged?
One good way is to bring everyone in a community together to talk about their vision for the future.
It’s also important to have programming that appeals to a broad range of people.
Thats how we started our project with AARP to create a multi-generational gathering spot in Mifflin Square Park.
When people are actively engaged in a project, the more ownership they have in what happens.
Andy Toy was interviewed in August 2020.Jay Walljasperis a frequent contributor to AARP Livable Communities.
The author ofThe Great Neighborhood Book,hewrites, speaks and consults about making livable communities.
