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 Two Old Women is an Athabascan tale, written down by Velma Wallis, that has been passed down for generations from mother to daughter. It tells of two old women who, in a time of famine, were deemed to be a burden to their tribe and were left behind to die. They had to decide whether to accept their fate or "die trying" to reverse it. In their struggle for survival, they saved not only themselves but also their tribe. As a result of their demonstrated power and wisdom, a major cultural shift occurred heralding a new appreciation of elders and a rebalancing of the community.
Big & SMALL connected the themes of the legend with Kitty Dukakis' message in her book Shock, the work of William Thomas, National AARP Scholar , Janis
Blanchard of the Aging in Community Network, and Susan Perlstein of the National Center for Creative Aging, and the work of Gene Cohen, PhD, M.D. which amplifies the importance of creative engagement
to health as we age. They knew they wanted to share the collective knowledge of these national leaders, our elders, with the Cape Cod community.
Using Big & SMALL's multifaceted intergenerational approach, we are building a model for cooperative, integrative and inclusive community asset building. This model will then be able to move to other communities regionally and nationally. Click here to learn more about the scope of this project and here to learn more about the thinking behind the model.
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