High School Seniors and Senior Citizens to engage on issues
You know the story your grandfather likes to tell. The one about traveling to school uphill both ways in the snow. Or, on a more serious note, the one about how difficult it was for his family during the days of the Great Depression? And for the older folks out there - how often do you ask yourself why kids today seem to be so engrossed in their technology devices that they appear unable to connect to those around them on a personal level?
Often, the key to understanding each other is to listen and engage. What are we missing in terms of learning from the different generations sharing this planet? How do citizens on the cusp of adulthood, and those who are more seasoned, feel about issues that impact humanity, our nation and our world? What can we learn from their points of view?
Daniel Island resident Fred Danziger began to ponder these questions after a discussion in his men’s group. At one of their meetings, they asked themselves if there is anything good going on in the world, in light of so many troubling events involving terrorism and other calamities?
“I said to myself, I wonder what would happen if we asked the same thing to the younger generation,” recalled Danziger, a semi-retired dentist “How would they feel about it? It’s been gnawing at me because of my own personal experience. I am so regretful that my grandparents, uncles, and aunts had this wealth of knowledge, but I never really had any meaty discussions with them about the meaning of life…We’re missing out so much by not having discourse between the two generations.”
And so the first Daniel Island Intergenerational Forum was born. Danziger pulled in some help in the form of a committee and set about asking local high school seniors and senior citizens to apply to participate. The event will be held on Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. in Bishop England High School’s Performing Arts Center and will feature 10 panelists, five high school seniors and five senior citizens, selected from a pool of applicants. The panel will weigh in on a variety of issues impacting the world today, including the national debt, education, the environment, critical thinking, diversity, gun control, economic opportunities, and the Syrian refugee crisis. Danziger sees benefits for both sides.
“Seventy year-olds and beyond won’t be around much longer,” he said. “I’m not trying to be pessimistic, that’s the life cycle. We’re leaving this world, this nation, to the younger people and we have certain things that might be of value and we have to look at it that way, that we should share that and respect each others’ opinions and maybe glean some knowledge from each other.”
“This is a great idea,” added Ron Silverman, a member of Danziger’s men’s group who also serves on the Intergenerational Forum Committee. “It resonated with me because it made so much sense to get these two groups together….The younger generation is a bright spot for the future. They are smarter, more mature, more worldly, and I think they’ll do a good job for the world…There is a lot more to them that bodes well for the future.”
The committee asked applicants to state the three most important issues facing us today. Both Danziger and Silverman were impressed with what the panelists came up with, particularly the high school seniors.
“It was a mixture of issues you would think are on the top of everybody’s tongue, with respect to the high school seniors that a senior like myself might not think they were invested in,” added Silverman. “For example, one high school applicant came up with the issue of the financial solvency of Social Security…It accomplished something for me in that I got a great insight into what high school students are thinking about. They are some of the same things that we are…and some are thinking outside the box.”
The high school senior participants are William Pugh of Academic Magnet High School, Isaac Holt of Hanahan High School, Jeffrey Sapakoff of Wando High School, Reid Cobb of Bishop England High School, and Aidyn Trubey of Palmetto Scholars Academy. Serving as senior citizen panelists will be Joseph Maurelli, John Gilsenan, Nona Bonheimer, David Brown, and James Edwards. In addition to individual presentations, panelists will discuss two relevant issues as a group - protecting the world’s deteriorating environment and what balance should we strike between maintaining personal freedom and protecting our citizens from harm.
Another component of the program will be the awarding of a $1000 grant by The Daniel Island News to the high school student who best presents and articulates his issue and responses during the program. In the end, Danziger and Silverman hope participants and audience members walk away inspired to continue the conversation.
“I hope that from a generational point of view each will have a much better appreciation of what the other generation is really like, as opposed to any stereotypical preconceived ideas they might have,” said Silverman.
“There are still values and thought processes that will span all generations,” added Danziger. “But to not use them as invaluable resources is sad…For both our panelists and audience members, maybe they’ll come away questioning a few things, and go back to their family members to ask their thoughts on certain issues. It starts a dialogue between them. It has such ramifications between the older and younger generations, to be able to accept their philosophies, even if they don’t agree, and to understand and respect each other.”