If you work in or near Philadelphia, don’t miss this exclusive professional development opportunity – a featured segment of our 10th Anniversary Storytelling Day which fits perfectly into your end-of-week lunch break, in a convenient Center City location! Simply select the VIP Lunch and Learn sponsor option here to reserve your seat, or arrange for a company outing and reserve seats together. Seats are limited to 50.
“This inspired program provides a safe environment for older adults to tell their stories, and the benefits are myriad.”
– Lisa Marsh Ryerson, President, AARP Foundation
“The Best Day of My Life So Far experience incorporates many important factors that have been shown to promote positive cognitive, psychological and health outcomes, including social interaction, cognitive activity and emotional expression.”
– Dr. Tania Giovannetti, Associate Professor of Neurology, Drexel University and Associate Professor of Psychology, Temple University
“I have never seen Benita without a smile on her face; she is truly inspiring and is able to move people beyond their expectations.”
– Diane Menio, Executive Director, Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly
“I have been in the business of serving the elderly for 29 years – your program is one of the very few who is able to think outside the box in serving the elderly.”
– Catherine Wu, Health Insurance Specialist, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Time and Place
Friday 11.08.19 / 11:15am-1pm / VIP Room
Philadelphia Senior Center
509 S. Broad Street, Phila. PA 19147
Check out the full-day event outline
Fee
Free as part of $65 VIP Sponsor Package which includes other rewards
Lunch will be provided
(Training is valued at $250/hour for a 2-hour-minimum as part of our regular programming, which we deliver to offices in PA/NJ and beyond)
Program Features
Learn our award-winning, internationally recognized intergenerational engagement techniques during your lunch break! Specifically, The Best Day of My Life So Far Founder, Benita Cooper, will personally show you how to reach out to older adults through story-listening. These are simple, flexible techniques you can apply to your public communications with intergenerational clients, internal office communications (especially for offices with employees of all ages), and also your personal lives. These workshops are fun, motivational and interactive. You can sign up as an individual and take the knowledge you have gained back to your office, or sign up with a group of colleagues as an instant team-building and productivity-boosting activity to improve your company’s work flow, products and brand image.
Our Lunch and Learns takes the fundamental concepts and techniques from our powerful Story Cure Program, and pares it down to a lunchtime format to suit busy professional schedules. Most recently, Benita has been invited to T-Mobile’s Corporate Office in Bellevue, WA, to bring these workshops to various groups of employees, as part of their inclusion and diversity initiatives. To see the depth and capacity of our Story Cure offerings, please enjoy this overview of our professional development work in Erie, PA, for LIFE-NWPA. LIFE-NWPA was instrumental in helping us shape our Story Cure curriculum, before, during and after this partnership. 11 million, or 28%, of older Americans are at risk for isolation. Isolation is the cause of many physical and mental health issues, from depression, diabetes, lung disease, impaired immune system to increased cognitive decline. Additionally, isolated older adults face a 26% higher chance of early death. Learn more about Best Day’s mission, impact and methods here.
Program Materials
Participants will receive access to our powerful and practical Conversation Starter Guide, which is a key tool in our Storytelling Toolbox.
About the Instructor
The Best Day of My Life So Far was founded by Benita Cooper after reconnecting with her grandmother and creating a bond through a series of life stories told over the phone. In 2009, she started a small, intergenerational storytelling group in the basement of the Philadelphia Senior Center. Originally intended as a six-week workshop, the group has never stopped meeting. By empowering older adults to open up and share their stories, with the help of volunteers, the physical group has turned over a thousand strangers into family; the virtual listening community that has formed around it has connected tens of thousands more. Through Benita’s work, the organization has expanded to satellite groups nationwide, and pioneered an award-winning, research-backed, AARP-endorsed methodology of intergenerational engagement. Now in its 10th year, the Best Day of My Life So Far has a support base of over 300 volunteers. It has worked with thousands of older adults and younger listeners nationwide, through 26 sites for its signature storytelling group program, 17 “Story Pop-Up” community events, and 10 “Story Cure” professional development programs (with the most recent Story Cure audience being the staff at T-Mobile’s Corporate Headquarters in Bellevue, WA.) Benita is Harvard-trained, and a recent recipient of Philadelphia Business Journal’s prestigious 2019 Minority Business Leader Award. The New Jersey Senate also just presented Benita with a Ceremonial Legislative Certificate, which describes her as a “woman of strong character and fortitude” with a “meritorious record of excellence within all the spheres of her life and work.”
In addition, Benita is often featured in the local and regional press, and frequently described as a “highly esteemed” community member who is always “making a difference.” Her work has been featured on TV and radio programs such as ABC News and eCareDiary’s “Empowering Family Caregivers,” in newspapers such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and Courier Post, and in books such as “The New Senior Woman.” Research and scientific backing of the work have been presented at conferences and journals such as American Society on Aging’s National Conference, Online News Association’s Storytelling Digital Summit, Australian Association of Gerontology’s National Conference, and Professional Journal of Activities, Adaptation, and Aging. A conference chair has described Benita’s presentation style as “confident, poised, and enthusiastic,” adding that she “relates so well to both young and older audiences.” In a special segment featuring her work, ABC reporters introduced Benita with these words: “We often hear that one person can make a difference. Today we introduce you to one such person.” Hear Benita’s personal story here.
Program Benefits
By attending this program, you will gain skill sets that will allow you to deliver the following benefits to older adults and community members.
Benefits for older adult participants:
- Decreased social and technological isolation
- Decreased symptoms of depression
- Decreased symptoms of anxiety
- Increased compliance with medical regimens
- Increased health-promoting behaviors such as diet and exercise
- Increased participation in additional social activities
- Increased appreciation for technology and social media
- Improved communication with family members and caregivers
Additional benefits for older adult participants and intergenerational community members:
- Improved communication with other generations
- Increased involvement in the local community
- Improved communication with people from other cultural and economical backgrounds
- Increased sense of freedom to make choices and decisions
- Increased sense of purpose, enrichment and fulfillment
- Increased appreciation for history
- Improved literacy and language skills
- Improved understanding of self and increased sense of self-worth
- Improved quality of life