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Acknowledgement
This manual was originally developed by the North
Carolina Center for Creative Retirement for the Creative Senior Leadership
Program of the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, which was supported
during 1990-91 by
grants from Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation and Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation, Inc.
We have included in this version some materials from
several newly created senior leadership programs that
resulted from those grants as well as some material from
recent classes of Leadership Asheville Seniors.
In 1991 the North Carolina Center for Creative
Retirement was awarded a second grant from the Mary
Reynolds Babcock Foundation to pursue establishment of
senior leadership programs in rural locations.
Information on these programs is available on request.
Ron Manheimer, Executive Director of the North Carolina Center for
Creative Retirement. Denise Snodgrass is coordinator of the Creative Senior Leadership Program
and Leadership Asheville Seniors.For
a list of NCCCR current staff click here
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Introduction
The
North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR) was established in
1987 at the University of North Carolina at
Asheville.
The NCCCR's multi-faceted programs promote
opportunities for lifelong learning, leadership, and
community service for older adults. Serving as a
laboratory for the state and the nation through the
design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative
educational programs, the NCCCR achieves its
long-range mission to encourage development of an
age-integrated society.
The NCCCR offers retirement-age people a variety of
learning experiences through
its various programs:
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Leadership Asheville Seniors informs
seniors about their local community's past,
present and future challenges through
presentations and exchanges with civic leaders,
political activists, social scientists and other
experts. Senior network to explore ways to link
their talents and expertise with community
needs.
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College for Seniors draws from retirees'
experiences and professional expertise, as well
as from the UNCA faculty, to offer a wide range
of courses. Members teach, learn, design
curricula and arrange special events.
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Senior Academy for Intergenerational Learning
matches retired professionals with UNCA
undergraduates and public school children as
tutors and mentors. Retirees also consult with
campus administrative departments, community
groups and nonprofit agencies.
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Seniors in the Schools provides a corp of
retirees to public schools where they tutor,
mentor, present enrichment programs, serve
school committees, and organize special
projects.
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Outreach Programs reach older adults
across the Carolinas and into other states
through programs such as humanities reading and
discussion groups, leadership seminars, and
workshops on starting educational programs for
seniors. Off-campus programs are developed in
partnership with local colleges, libraries and
other community organizations.
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Research Institute conducts regional
studies of the economic and social impact of
retirees, and national studies of older adult
education programs, evaluates NCCCR programs,
publicizes research findings and organizes
periodic conferences on retirement issues and
policies.
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Behind-the-Scene Tours offer all-day,
intergenerational "seminars on wheels" on a
variety of aspects of community life. Topics
have included the role of agriculture in the
county, manufacturing, church music and
architecture, media, forestry, and alternative
health practices. (Now Trips & Tours
offering both local and international trips)
Note: NCCCR has added a number of new programs
and some programs have been replaced by others.
See the main web site for details http://www.unca.edu/ncccr/
Updated 4/27/2005
Creative Senior Leadership Program developed out
of belief, experience and need.
The belief is that retirees can offer a wealth of
knowledge, experience, leadership and vitality to their
communities while enriching their own lives.
The experience is three successful years of
Leadership Asheville Seniors allowing participants
knowledge of their community needs, new friendships, and
volunteer opportunities to affect the future of the
community. The need is a growing number of retirees, many in-migrating,
in North Carolina, a resource the state and local
communities should utilize.
Creative Senior Leadership Program assumes that
Asheville's experience is not unique, that other
communities have untapped, under-utilized resources in
retirees. Creative Senior Leadership Program assumes that enlivened,
informed retirees reconnected into communities
potentially return leadership, skills, ideas, and time
to their communities while being fulfilled by a new
sense of productivity resulting from their leadership
program experiences.
This training manual offers organizational and
curriculum assistance to groups within communities that
wish to start a similar leadership program for retirees. The materials have been used during three successful years of
Leadership Asheville Senior.
The curriculum, in particular, has evolved over
the several programs.
New programs should use the materials here as a
starting point only since each program should address
the needs of its community.
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