lì
Page 8
W
M
a r t in
L u t h e r K in g J r .
Januaty II, 2012
2012 sp e c ia l ed itio n
A Community for All
continued
from page 5
active.
“They use their specific tal­
ents and skills, which could be
c o o k in g , c ro c h e t, arts and
crafts, or simply taking the kids
to the park,” she said.
B o th
D a v e n p o rt
and
Schubert recalled a story of a
6-year-old named Noah, who
lives with his family at Bridge
M eadows. His mom told the
boy to go and get something
from his grandm a, and Noah
asked, “W hich one?”
Although the community rep­
resentatives agree that the con­
cept can seem a bit foreign at
first, they both are adam ant
that Bridge M eadows is a cre­
ative way to bring people to­
gether to support each other in
ways, w hich have been seem ­
ingly lost in the U nited States.
D avenport quoted broadcast
jo u rn alist Ted Koppel: “The
idea o f an intergenerational
society is so old— it’s new .”
“ A lot of other cultures are
already doing this,” she said.
“ But A m ericans have moved
photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
Bridge Meadows Executive Director and psychologist Dr. Derenda Schubert joins Amanda Daven­
port, development director for intergenerational housing community, to walk through the 22-acre
north Portland housing site where residents of all ages live together to change the current model of
support for foster youth.
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away from the idea, and we
are trying to bring it back.”
It is about helping one an­
other, and being part o f your
neighbor’s lives, Schubert said.
Shirley G ulliksen, 30, has
b een a re s id e n t at B rid g e
M eadow s since May 2011. As
a single m other of her three-
year-old K arishm a, and the
adoptive parent of her nieces
K aryssa, 9, and A lyssa, 11,
she said she is extrem ely thank­
ful for the com m unity they are
a part of at Bridge M eadows.
Gulliksen said, if she hadn’t
stepped in to care for her nieces,
they would have been put into
foster care and possibly sepa­
rated. “There was nowhere else
for them to go,” she said. “This
way they can stay together.”
At the com plex, she said
everybody gets along with one
another, and it is truly a place
of resident interaction.
“They (the elders) give so
much support with the kids and
even with m e,” she said. “ It is
am azing.”
A c c o rd in g to S c h u b e rt,
there is a need for everyone to
understand that these children
are everyone’s children. “They
sit next to your child at school,
they live in your neighborhood,
and they need us to be their
voice and support.”
As a clinical psychologist
for 17-years who w orked with
foster children and built pro­
gram s, Schubert said she has
seen how the foster care sys­
tem can im pact a ch ild ’s life,
w hich catalyzed her to con­
tinue asking how she could help
these kids and becom e a part
of the solution.
“We know there are a lot of
problem s— it is not a perfect
system ,” she said. “So we need
to be active.”
Schubert said there are health
challenges, including post trau­
m atic stress d iso rd e rs th at
em erge as a result of being in
and out o f the current model of
support for foster children.
Failures in the traditional fos­
ter care system cause this si­
lent epidem ic that often doesn’t
get recognized, she said.
“The system is in need of
more help, support and innova­
tive ideas,” said D avenport.
“It is overloaded, frankly,” she
said. “We want to be part of this
solution and be seen as a part­
ner.”
A ccording to Schubert, the
com m unity not only increases
the quality of life for youth, but
also truly helps provide m ean­
ing and purpose in the lives of
the elderly, who often tim es
can feel lonely.
A lthough Bridge M eadow s
m erely opened its doors last
year, there is already a w aiting
list for elders who are looking
to be a p a r t o f th e
intergenerational living com ­
munity.
“The com munity helps de­
crease isolation and increase in­
volvement in their lives,” said
Schubert. “Several of the elders
who moved here were faced
with many challenges, but here,
it’s affordable, and the financial
strain is taken off of them.”
On-site there are a number of
resident resources, including a
community center, library, tutor­
ing room, computer lab, and com­
munity garden. Program services
also cover four specific catego­
ries, including education, recre­
ation, health and well-being, and
arts and culture.
“We think the people who live
here are amazing,” said Schubert.
“They are our heroes.”
D avenport agreed.
“W e are am azed with the
m iracles we see every day,”
she said.