Monday, March 16, 2009

Legacy Workshops are Effective

Along with a different Legacy Consultant at each, I spoke with two different groups at independent senior living residences on Saturday. At both we conducted Legacy Workshops just like we advocate in the training in the Priceless Legacy Resource Center.

Both Executive directors where very happy to have us in to address the groups and both groups where dynamic and engaged. We started with group discussions about the residents' own grandparents and then talked about how life story capture and preservation was critical, if nothing else, out of respect to those ancestors. For once the seniors agreed that they cherished the stories of their own grandparents and parents, they were rhetorically unable to make the case that their own stories were not worthy of preservation. We then talked about how life story preservation was a gift to the subject, the family and the community.

I would predict that at least half of the 25 seniors or so who attended these workshops will do life stories with us and the others will do something on their own. Mission accomplished!

It was time well spent and I suggest that all Legacy Consultants reach out to local senior groups to schedule Legacy Workshops. They work and they are fun.

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