Personal approach pays dividends

We began by having members of the Gray Panthers and Senior Agenda Coalition boards of directors learn the RIOP method of one-to-one meetings. RIOP organizer Ray Gagne provided the training. Those were structured conversations during which we shared stories about events in our lives that caused us to take action for social justice or stand up for something we believed in. As we shared stories about ourselves and people we knew, we built trust and deeper relationships with each other around common concerns.  For example, we learned how some Gray Panthers were stranded for days in their homes last winter when Providence streets were not plowed well and sidewalks iced over -- something we had never discussed before.
 After participating in training, some of our members invited others to join them at small group meetings of five to 10 people. Although called “house meetings,” they were held at various sites. The meeting convener started the discussion by asking a question such as, “When you think about aging in the community, what concerns you the most?”  Each person told a brief story about himself or herself or someone they know. By taking the time to listen to community members’ concerns and building them into a team, the organizer and the group reached more solid ground by identifying concerns that people cared deeply about.
While members of the Gray Panthers and Senior Agenda participated in that process, we also became connected with members of six RIOP-affiliated church congregations in Providence and East Providence through monthly meetings and learned about their concerns. Together we have been   meeting with community decision makers. Their input has helped us turn our concerns into more specific, immediate and winnable issues and to develop proposals to address those issues.
  Our final step will be to join the other RIOP groups in holding a public action meeting in May, when we will turn out large numbers of members and allies and demand that decision makers take action on   our priority tissues.
  Our effort is ongoing. So far we have found three common concerns shared by many seniors: the need for affordable services to help them remain in the community; the lack of reliable unbiased information and advice about senior services; and the importance of preserving affordable Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus and RIde para-transit service. We are continuing to meet with residents of senior housing developments, and we would be pleased to meet anywhere with interested seniors.  To arrange for a meeting, contact the Senior Agenda Coalition at (401) 952-6527.
 
William F. Flynn Jr. is executive director of the Senior Agenda Coalition. Contact him at senioragendari@yahoo.com or (401) 274-6900, extension 205.