Village Movement California, comprising more than 50 Villages in California, hosted its 8th annual conference at The Arboretum in Arcadia, California. Hundreds of Villagers from all over California (as well as several from Washington, DC) came together to learn about resilience, equity, navigating conflict and sustaining community.

Pasadena Village hosted a pre-conference reception in our Community Room to welcome leaders from many Villages to socialize and share ideas in a personal way. We also coordinated a pre-conference walk at the Arboretum just before the conference began on Thursday morning.

The conference began with two dynamic presentations. Washington DC Village Collaborative Executive Director Dr. Katrina Polk and colleagues presented Building Equitable Pathways into the Village Movement. The second presentation was a panel, which included our Executive Director Katie Brandon sharing experiences of Disaster Resilience: Preparing Older Adults and Building Organizational Capacity to Respond.

Following a lovely reception where many connections were made among the myriad Villagers, dinners were held at various nearby restaurants with each group sharing thoughts on various topics such as; rising needs of villagers, engaging volunteers, welcoming everyone, membership, and hot topics. Pasadena Villagers attending the conference joined in several of these conversations.

Dr. Michelle Martin, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work at Cal State Fullerton, presented the keynote speech titled “Rebuilding: Resilience as Reinvention in Later Life.” Her work challenges us to see resilience not as quiet endurance, but as authenticity, honest reckoning with loss, and the courage to step away from roles we have outgrown. Following this dynamic discussion of resiliency, Jina Virtue and Luz Nunez from the National Conflict Resolution Center shared strategies to help with conflict resolution primarily concerned with the art of communication, which includes active awareness, responding respectfully and troubleshooting together.

For those who had time and interest on Saturday morning, Pasadena Villagers Barbara Madden and Lucinda Haagenson organized a car caravan tour of Altadena with the help of several Pasadena Village drivers. Beginning at the Collaboratory in Altadena, the group surveyed the large, detailed map of the Eaton Fire area, which is color-coded for houses destroyed, affected, and partial destruction, as well as designating the 19 Altadenans who lost their lives. The tour focused on Villagers in various stages of recovery: John Jackson’s house is partially rebuilt; Patti LaMarr’s lot where the foundation has just been poured; Sue Kujawa’s included a mini-tour around the exterior of her home (almost ready to move in); and Virgi Merriam showed the group where her house once stood, now waiting to begin new construction. At the conclusion of the tour, Nic Arnzen, Facilities Director of the Eaton Fire Collaboratory and Chair of the Altadena Town Council, took the group through the facility, pointing out the Wellness Room, which is co-sponsored by Pasadena Village.

As if this conference wasn’t enough to emphasize the value of connecting with other Villagers across the state, the National Village Movement held a virtual conference a week later! The sessions were broadcast in various rooms at the Pasadena Village office. Once again, several Pasadena Villagers gathered to participate in this virtual conference to learn a few of the ways other Villages present meaningful topics, and the importance of collecting data that can help build awareness of the needs of seniors and telling our stories of belonging.

One session about gathering data through stories was of particular interest to Villager Jim Hendrick. He learned that different stakeholders see value differently. Members want to know whether belonging improves their lives. Volunteers want to know whether their time makes a difference. Leaders need to demonstrate the Village’s impact on members, neighborhoods and the broader community. Funders want evidence that their investment matters. He stated, “Pasadena Village already has a powerful resource for telling those stories. Much of Village life happens through conversation and “schmoozing,” where members naturally share experiences, challenges, friendships, and changes in their lives. The Eaton Fire has generated another important collection of stories—stories of loss, resilience, neighbors helping neighbors, and the Village responding when members needed it most. By collecting both data and stories we demonstrate the real value of Pasadena Village.”

Villager Suzi Hoge found the session on Dementia and Villages presented by Gerontologist Sonya Barseness to be informational. She explained dementia as a shift in the way a person experiences the world around them. Several ideas were suggested for Villages: changing the way we see dementia (reducing stigma), supporting people with dementia as they learn to live well. Some recommended strategies for Villages were education, messaging, and fighting stigma.

Village activities supporting people with dementia included connecting people with dementia, education programs, memory cafes, possibilities for people with dementia to volunteer, creating enabling environments, encouraging a sense of purpose in people with dementia, and providing support with challenges such as transportation or meals.

Sometimes we minimize the value of conferences, but these particular two definitely strengthen our ties to other Villages while giving us a greater understanding of our Village and ways we can enhance what we offer and how we interact with each other. These opportunities to be in touch throughout the nation are invaluable in terms of working together to ensure better lives for seniors. Of the dozen Pasadena Villagers who attended all or portions of the conference, every one expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet and have meaningful conversations with so many other Villagers.

As Suzi Hoge said, “I really valued the opportunities to connect with other Villages during and between sessions. It made me value the community emphasis of Pasadena Village even more.”

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