Retirement is a Great Time to Engage with Your Community
When you retire, you don’t have to travel the world to expand your horizons. You can grow wherever you live. In our October retirement panel event, we explored several ways to make the most of your retirement. Of course, we learned about travel options (see “Enjoying the Latest Travel Trends in Retirement”). But we also explored ways to become more worldly without crossing the county line.
For inspiration and ideas on local enrichment opportunities, we heard from:
Meri Mitchell, Director of Development at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, shared thoughts on volunteerism in general and mentorship specifically.
Garry Crites, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke University, encouraged us to never stop learning or teaching.
Daniel Dinkins, Manager of Operations at UNC Chapel Hill Visitors’ Center, enlightened us on engaging with familiar locations from a fresh perspective.
Meri started with a reminder that so many of us receive mentorship naturally. At our jobs, in school, through countless community groups, we have benefited from interactions with more experienced individuals our whole lives. And yet, there are probably children right in your hometown who are not exposed to mentor relationships. This is where Big Brothers Big Sisters comes in, and the group is always looking for volunteers.
Many people are afraid to get involved because they worry that they aren’t mentor material. Your life experience is worth sharing with a young mind. And there is probably a child who wants to know more about your interests, whether they include science, the arts, sports, business, etc. As a volunteer, you will receive mentorship training, ongoing development, and guidance from a one-on-one match support specialist.
To learn more, go to http://bigstri.org/.
Garry, speaking as if behind the pulpit, reminded us that a person who is 70 years old still has a brain. In his work at OLLI, he develops coursework that allows people to learn things they’ve always wanted to but haven’t had the chance. Continuing education is a key component of successful mental aging. Benefiting a diverse population with a wide range of interests, OLLI offers courses in literature, history, religion, philosophy, natural sciences, social sciences, performing arts, art and architecture, economics, finance, computers and lifestyle issues.
What’s more, senior education classes are one of the best ways to meet other interesting people your age and in your neighborhood. The OLLI community is filled with business and academic leaders, as well as people who were at the top of their career fields just a year or two earlier. The dialogue tends to be lively and thought provoking because students have diverse life experiences and are not being graded. But the debate is also respectful because, as Garry explained, experience gives our brains a greater ability to hold opposing ideas in tension.
To learn more, go to https://learnmore.duke.edu/olli.
Daniel shared with us some surprising avenues to learn more about the priceless gem that is Chapel Hill, whether you’re a tourist or a curious local. With the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, most of us take for granted the history and nature of our own communities. But the UNC Visitors Center offers tours and other educational experiences on campus that highlight the spirit, the natural beauty, and the lesser known history of the nation’s first public university.
The university is one of the nation’s only college visitors centers that is not part of the admissions office. They can introduce you to educational opportunities at UNC, ranging from the Ackland Art Museum, to the Morehead Planetarium, the various international studies departments, the PlayMakers theater, the arboretum and botanical gardens, etc. UNC is home to so many events and organizations that we cannot list them all here.
To learn more, go to https://www.unc.edu/visitors/.
Whether your passions lead you to travel, volunteer, go back to school, or explore your community, we encourage you to dream and be thoughtful about how you will spend your time. We have provided just a small sample of the many great things our clients have experienced in retirement. We cannot wait to hear your story!