The HAP was amazing! Approximately 40 walkers attended the intergenerational “All Walks of Life Walk-A-Thon.” According to the survey results, there were a blend of races attending, but 15 more females than males. In addition, the average age was around 70 years old, but our group along with 2 additional UCSD students contributed to the wide range of ages who participated. Our group of 7 members arrived at the Senior Lounge at Balboa Park an hour before the actual event. I was surprised the Senior Center’s central location amidst major museums including the Model Railroad, Fleet Science Center, and Natural History Museum. We set up two posters with directions to get to our event as well as granola bars, bananas, water bottles, and Propel packets.
The walk covered 1.3 miles through Balboa Park’s scenic landscape. At the termination of the event, we raffled 3 $25 gift cards for Amazon, AMC Theater, and Starbucks. In retrospect, to help our event run more smoothly and fulfilling, we should provide two options for walkers- a shorter and longer route. The longer route would be an extension of the shorter route thus when the faster walkers returned from the longer route, they could meet the slower walkers from the shorter route at a designated rest area. Also, we realized that most elders fit Large sized and X-Large sized shirts, not Medium and Small shirts. Furthermore, instead of propel packets, we could use the money to provide more gift cards so that there were additional prizes available. The check in time and the initiation of the walk time should be more clearly announced. Despite these hiccups, the intergenerational walk was a success and I hope even more people join next year!
I am privileged to be part of the amazing Life Course Scholars program. Through site visitations and numerous individual and group presentations, I became more cognizant of the healthy aging process and the structural barriers that unfortunately contribute to ageism. I feel more comfortable around seniors and I see that seniors contribute a large part to society- through active service, wisdom, and love for others.
The walk covered 1.3 miles through Balboa Park’s scenic landscape. At the termination of the event, we raffled 3 $25 gift cards for Amazon, AMC Theater, and Starbucks. In retrospect, to help our event run more smoothly and fulfilling, we should provide two options for walkers- a shorter and longer route. The longer route would be an extension of the shorter route thus when the faster walkers returned from the longer route, they could meet the slower walkers from the shorter route at a designated rest area. Also, we realized that most elders fit Large sized and X-Large sized shirts, not Medium and Small shirts. Furthermore, instead of propel packets, we could use the money to provide more gift cards so that there were additional prizes available. The check in time and the initiation of the walk time should be more clearly announced. Despite these hiccups, the intergenerational walk was a success and I hope even more people join next year!
I am privileged to be part of the amazing Life Course Scholars program. Through site visitations and numerous individual and group presentations, I became more cognizant of the healthy aging process and the structural barriers that unfortunately contribute to ageism. I feel more comfortable around seniors and I see that seniors contribute a large part to society- through active service, wisdom, and love for others.