Each Fall, JSS presents a series of Russian programming where a senior, or a group of seniors shows children a skill or teaches a lesson about history. The idea for this series came up from working with the members of the Russian senior community, who communicated their desire to feel relevant and share what they know with the younger generations.
Even before COVID, 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older reported being socially isolated. Adding in COVID-19, poverty, lack of transportation, and language barriers, and those numbers rise even higher. This project allows JSS to reduce that isolation for some of the Russian seniors in the community. The children benefit too from reinforcing their Russian language skills, their cultural identity, their sense of belonging to community and learning the skills of building relationships with seniors.
We implemented this program in 2022 and have received great feedback from the seniors that worked as presenters. Here’s a quote from one of the presenters from last year:
“I enjoyed teaching kids how to cook the Russian dumplings… They brought so much energy that I did not feel tired myself. Because of my health, I typically cannot be on my feet for more than a few minutes. The event lasted almost 4 hours, I was standing the whole time, and yet I never felt tired. I think I will feel that energy for many weeks still. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do this.” (translated from Russian)
