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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Thanks, Beryl, for taking the time to respond -- and, yes, this is what I had in mind. And even more specifically, are any museums helping to address needs of people who've been laid off, for example, e.g., by offering job retraining or places to use the Internet? Is anyone putting in a community garden? or hosting a farmers market? or helping people learn money-saving skills, say, for working on their house or car? What about clinics for repairing broken things? What about opportunities to do parttime work? Even before the severe downturn, this was a theme of groups like Civic Engagement, who foresaw that older adults would both be capable of making ongoing, meaningful contributions, but would also likely need at least some income.
And what about addressing the increased need for social support, during a time of trauma? After September 11th, we heard from counselors who valued museums as environments that helped people be together in positive settings. Botanical gardens' attendance went up, I believe. Is anyone offering free admission or programs or opening up free zones where they didn't have them before?
It's very hard to think about community needs when our own institutions -- and everyone personally, in varying degrees -- is being affected by this situation. But museums have always represented a collective spirit and have talked about community. Helping to make the community promising for new economic development is certainly and aspect of this. What about at the more immediate, small-scale level? I wonder if there are any stories out there.
Wendy
Wendy Pollock
Association of Science-Technology Centers
1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
USA
202/783-7200 x114
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