* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Welch
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Informational Hearing - Intergenerational Recreation Centers
FOR the purpose of calling on representatives from the agencies concerned with recreational and enrichment programming for both seniors and children to appear before the City Council to discuss the possibility of creating intergenerational recreation centers in Baltimore and expanding intergenerational programming that benefits Baltimoreans of all ages.
body
Recitals
In some Baltimore neighborhoods, individuals from two vulnerable populations - seniors and children - too often remain underserved. Expanding educational, enrichment, and recreational opportunities for both of these populations should be a city-wide priority.
However, in the current era of limited financial resources, the City cannot always spend what it would like to on these priorities. It therefore cannot afford to limit itself to only traditional approaches that are premised on serving seniors and young people separately. Instead, the innovative idea of creating intergenerational recreation centers should be explored.
This idea, gaining in popularity nationwide and in cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, allows facilities to leverage their available space and staff by providing programming to each population at different times while also creating unique opportunities for mutually rewarding shared experiences that pair seniors and children.
Federal agencies and private national foundations are becoming increasingly vocal boosters of this concept for both its efficiency and the very real advantages to both seniors and children that each gets from the opportunity to interact with the other. One agency that promotes intergenerational programming states:
"Intergenerational programs bring together diverse groups and networks and help to dispel inaccurate stereotypes. Sharing talents and resources help to create a unified group identity. Children, youth, and older adults are less alienated while the community recognizes that they are contributing members of society... Intergenerational programs promote the transmission of cultural traditions and values from older to younger generations, helping build a sense of personal and societal identity while encouraging tolerance."
Although programming for seniors and children has traditionally been spread between different City agencies, greater collaboration between these agencies should be encouraged so that the full benefits of intergenerational programming can be brought to Baltimore, and the resource maximizing potential of intergenerational recreation centers can be fully explored.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, that the Council calls on representatives from the agencies concerned with recreational and enrichment programming for both seniors and children to appear before it to discuss the possibility of creating intergenerational recreation centers in Baltimore and expanding intergenerational programming that benefits Baltimoreans of all ages.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director of Recreation and Parks, the Health Commissioner, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
dlr12-0279~intro/05Sep12
ccres/InterGenRec/tw
dlr12-0279~intro/05Sep12
????
ccres/InterGenRec/tw