Project V.O.I.C.E. brings generations together through film

SEDONA, Oct. 19, 2008 � Susan Barrington, director of the Sedona Community Center, is spearheading a grassroots project to �heal old wounds, challenge established paradigms and promote new ways of thinking and doing both business and life� in Sedona and the Verde Valley.

About 15 people representing residents, nonprofit organizations, schools and government attended an Oct. 14 informational meeting about the project.

The long-form name of Ms. Barrington�s project is complicated; the acronym appropriate: Project V.O.I.C.E. (Verde Valley Omnigenerational Integrated Collaborative Experiment).

There might be some unintended consequences to the project, which in this case ain�t all bad.

�We are a brilliant, full, robust community with lots of agencies, lots of ideas and lots of agendas. Sometimes that creates territorialism and competition. I thought anything that would foster dialogue, connection and partnership � AMEN to that,� Ms. Barrington said.

Early brainstorming sessions produced a common medium � filmmaking � to cover four focus areas for the project: civic engagement; creative expression; environmental stewardship; and wellness and safety.

�Film is story telling. Story telling gives voice to the human experience,� Ms. Barrington stated.

Ultimately, Project V.O.I.C.E. seeks to bring people of all ages together to inspire service projects through films that explore challenges faced by the Greater Sedona community; create public service commercials; provide video conferencing to the homebound; archive the histories of our elderly; and promote environmental stewardship.

Ms. Barrington has some recent experience reaching across the generational aisle.

She initiated a philosophical change in the community center�s mission by changing the center�s name and opening its proverbial arms to all Sedona residents after decades of strict focus on the elderly, shortly after she was appointed its director about three years ago.

The community center still provides critical services to Sedona�s senior community through Meals-on-Wheels, congregate lunches, and transportation services for seniors and the handicapped.

But, the traditional senior-center industry is changing with extended life spans, better health, economic constraints and new expectations and needs of the baby-boomer generation.

�Society is coming to understand that artificial age-based segregation is often counterproductive,� Ms. Barrington stated in a recent grant proposal.

The proposal is for a grant funded by Arizona�s Community for All Ages Initiative � administered by the Arizona Community Foundation.

The CFAA program is based on conceptual framework developed by the Temple University Center for Intergenerational Learning in Philadelphia, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

It brings together community leaders, youth, and older adults to develop action plans that address common concerns, such as lifelong learning, civic engagement, transportation, housing, and individual/family support, according to the ACF Web site.

�My father was dean of Temple University for years and years,� Ms. Barrington said, which was one reason the grant caught her eye out of many that cross her desk on a regular basis.

When she saw the work was about interagency collaborative work and intergenerational programming, Ms. Barrington thought the grant was a perfect fit for the Greater Sedona community.

The project is not about �twisting arms� or about the Sedona Community Center pushing a hidden agenda, Ms. Barrington said. She simply felt a personal connection to the initiative; she believes in it; and had the resources to do the ground work.

Ms. Barrington has hosted three informational meetings through the community center since June.

On Oct. 28, she�ll host a working meeting to begin refining the level of commitment shown so far by several individuals and organizations.

October through May 2009 will be a planning season, possibly funded with a $10,000 grant from CFAA.

�Through this process we will have done enough community assessment and realize what we have that�s working well in the community, what holes may exist, and come up with programming that addresses that; and write a powerful implementation plan,� Ms. Barrington said.

The next step would be to apply for a CFAA Implementation Grant in May 2009 for approximately $110,000, to be distributed over a four-year program.

Project V.O.I.C.E. already has some impressive partners, according to Ms. Barrington, including:

The CFAA grant requires 50-percent matching funds. Many of the identified partners have indicated support for grant matching, according to the grant proposal.

�These are people who said whether or not we get this funding, we are going to go forward with this process,� Ms. Barrington said.

Project V.O.I.C.E. has also received letters of support from the Northern Arizona Council of Governments, the United Way of Yavapai County, Sedona Charter School, OLLI, and the Sedona Fire District.

For more information, or to get involved, contact Ms. Barrington at (928) 282-2834 or email her at info@SCCSedona.org.

Readers' comments:

#1 Project V.O.I.C.E vision needs accolade however community center directors philosophical change in the center�s mission has been debited and a feedback has been given to the director of community center. The first hole that needs to be plugged is: Senior center is for �seniors�. The primary focus should be seniors. By opening doors of Senior Center to all communities the staff focus, energies and concentration is now divided between serving the young and seniors.
This is disservice to seniors. Sedona has many other non profit centers/communities that can provide intergenerational opportunities/activities. For example take the list of partners. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Light Heart Foundation, Sedona Public Library are serving intergenerational program like then why is senior center duplicating the services of these partners.
This is injustice to sedona seniors. Administration on Aging is doubted will approve of traditional senior center now opened to all generations. Belonging to baby boomers generation, myself it is my concern that seniors are not given a priority. Meals on wheels program and other senior center activities will be compromised if senior center takes the lead in V.O.I.C.E instead of the partners. Again V.O.I.C.E needs applaud but sedona seniors think again.

#2 YES - this is what our community has needed. This is an exciting way for our many organizations to work together, sharing our strengths and integrating services to all ages.