Project Phoenix is an intergenerational program based in Wellend, Ontario, just outside of Niagara, run jointly by the nonprofits Seniors for Youth Niagara and Youth Resources Niagara. The program aims to close the gap between seniors and youth for the purpose of improving the community by giving senior volunteers a chance to interact and share their knowledge and experience with at-risk youth in the area.
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Each year a number of organizations and publications, from the New York Post to The Economist and Bloomberg Businessweek, devise a list of the most ‘livable’ cities in America and the world. Then, without fail, every year, waves of critics denounce the list for being biased towards certain cities. This process illustrates how truly difficult it is come up with a singular definition of the term ‘livability’. Each publication has their own formula that generally includes ratings that represent each city’s access to affordable housing, cost of living, quality of education, and amount of cultural amenities, among the many other components that determine a city’s livability. How these factors are weighted in the formula depends on the interests and goals of the publication.
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With the mentorship and support of long-time Partners colleague William K. Reilly, Partners has developed the City Resilient Awards Program to embody a new civic movement: Prosperous, Sustainable, and Fair.
The awards program will replace Partners' once-a-decade recognition of America's Most Livable Community, last given in 2004. Partners defines resilience to encompass a diverse range of elements, including a strong economy with equal opportunity, high quality public education, affordable health services, accessible public transportation, and the capacity to persevere through environmental, economic, and social hardships. Furthermore, a resilient city is an inclusive one: all residents should be involved in the process of creating a more prosperous city, giving voice to the full range of ideas and perspectives of the population.
In the City Resilient program prospectus, Partners outlines this vision:
When Dr. Gordon Streib, a sociology professor at the University of Florida, first pitched the idea of sponsoring a retirement community on the UF campus in 1997, it was understandably met with skepticism by the University leadership. It would seem difficult for the late-night lifestyles of college students and the generally more peaceful temperaments of senior citizens to coexist. Nearly 10 years after the retirement community opened its doors in 2004, however, the establishment of the Oak Hammock Retirement Home has proven to be such a resounding success that there is already a waiting list to get in.
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