Marin JCC offering a ‘Third Place’ for older adults

As the population of Marin County grows older, the Marin Jewish Community Center is maturing as well, offering new programs to meet constituents' needs.

The Center for Lifelong Learning, begun in the spring, is designed particularly for those just entering their senior years. The MJCC is also calling the center the "Third Place" -- referring to a term coined by author Ray Oldenburg in "The Great Good Place." The third place is a somewhere, other than home or work, where people can go to socialize with new and old friends, and learn more about themselves.

Sites that have served as third places are disappearing: Mom-and-Pop stores, the corner tavern, the local community center where people could mingle with longtime buddies.

According to Jerry Garfield, the MJCC program's coordinator, Marin's older residents are looking for destinations where they can feel at ease with others who may share similar physical, emotional or spiritual concerns.

The Center for Lifelong Learning will offer classes, workshops and trips for active, older adults who are reaching retirement age.

It is designed for those in their 50s and up. At this stage, said Garfield, many people see aging as a negative aspect of life. The MJCC's plan is to encourage older adults to figure out what they want to do in this new phase of life.

The program is funded by the Jewish Community Endowment Foundation's Newhouse Fund. Some classes were offered in April and a new slate of activities will begin in early September.

Among the many offerings is a class entitled "Growing Older Is Not an Option...Growing Wiser Is!" Taking place on Oct. 21, the workshop will provide ways of increasing one's physical, mental and emotional flexibility, as well as creative activities "useful for meeting the challenges of growing older."

Previously, trips for seniors included such destinations as the symphony and ballet. A far more ambitious outing is planned for Oct. 22 to 26, however. In conjunction with the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in Jackson, Miss., this is a cycling tour of the Antebellum South. Participants will bike along the Natchez Trace (an old road connecting the city of Natchez with Nashville, Tenn.) and follow the Jewish history in the area to the battlefields of Vicksburg, Miss. The trip is co-sponsored by Marin Congregations Rodef Sholom and Kol Shofar.

On Tuesdays starting Oct.16, writer and poet Diane Lutovich will be giving writing classes. Whether through essays, short stories or poetry, students can learn how to express themselves in new ways.

For those who feel behind the times, there will be weekly sessions on computer use, starting Oct. 4. Meetings will cover the basics, including how to use the Internet and e-mail.

"Modern Meditation Techniques for Work, Home and Play" will instruct in forms of reflection. On Oct. 4, author and instructor Pragito Dove will provide techniques for stress management, relaxation and meditation.

Among intergenerational programs is "Between Diapers and Dilemmas: Finding What Works for New and Seasoned Grandparents." The two classes, on Oct. 19 and 26, will explore some of the issues that grandparents face, and help individuals figure out what kind of role they want to play in the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Also on the agenda is a trip to Tunisia and the island of Djerba, home to generations of Tunisian Jews, as well as a "training package" to help people prepare physically for travel.

Also scheduled are art and music classes, Shabbat lunches with lectures, and Havdallah dinners with entertainment.

For traditionalists, there's still bridge and bingo on Tuesdays. And one Wednesday a month, Bay Area outings will include such places as Angel Island and PacBell Park for a Giants baseball game.

Garfield expects Center for Lifelong Learning activities to fill quickly and suggest signing up early, starting in August.