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THAT'S TAILORED TO YOU Learn about our holistic approach to weight management July 2021 edition Special Advertising Supplement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel Learn, Grow & Socialize with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute By Tara Fatemi Walker The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC Santa Cruz, known as OLLI for short, is a won- derful organization avail- able to Santa Cruz County seniors. OLLI members can attend monthly meetings at UCSC with intriguing speakers and take advan- tage of other offerings like courses (taught by a range of experts, including many UCSC faculty) and dozens of interest groups (led by other OLLI members). OLLI was founded in 1984 by a group of five friends, all "older" UCSC students who lived in town, who regularly socialized. As stated in a 2014 online article about OLLI's his- tory (olli.ucsc.edu/history/ index.html), "…they were struck with the need for more opportunities to gath- er on a regular basis. All were retirees who shared a common interest in further learning experiences but also felt the need for social contact with peers." They reached out to the univer- sity to secure a meeting place, and the organization grew from there. The first name was Lifelong Learn- ers; this changed in 2009 when it partnered with the Bernard Osher Foundation. Board member Mark Gordon, who is 81 years old, has been involved with OLLI since 2003. "That's when I retired," says Mark. He was selected to be on the Board in 2004 and was elected Vice President in 2006 and President in 2007 and 2008. "As President I facilitated the initial relationship with the Osher Foundation which offered a substantial endowment which would allow us to grow and have more resources to increase our offerings to members," Mark adds. He is a current board member and serves as Fa- cilities Coordinator. Mark is very enthusiastic about OLLI. "It is at its heart a Community Organization. It has always been char- acterized by the feeling of friendship and the pleasure of sharing intellectual and social activities, often at the same time. The vol- unteer board operates all the programs. People join OLLI and become friends through participation in the courses we offer or through attendance in the range of interest groups, on wildly diverse topics from book clubs to wine tasting to intensely scholarly subjects like an exploration of the future of capitalism." He emphasizes that the Interest Groups are a central part of OLLI, and that one distinctive opportunity is that members are in charge of their own groups. Mark leads one of the interest groups, Current Affairs. Participants met via Zoom during the pan- demic, and the plan is to have face to face meetings in the future, as soon as it is deemed safe. "Zoom is a marvel but cannot compare to the pleasure of 15 folks in a room together looking at various perspectives on a current issue," says Mark. He explains how the group works: "Once a topic is established, I seek articles from all points of view, often conflicting points of view, and share them with the group members. Our goal is to try to understand why people who differ on an issue see it so different- ly. We are not about trying to persuade anyone of a particular point of view, but to understand the com- plexity of any issue." Past topics have included US Presidential prerogatives, local water use, homeless- ness, and racial issues. Barry Bowman serves as Board President and Pro- gram Coordinator. "OLLI has two major functions," he says. "One is obvious- ly education, but equally important is social interac- tion. Perhaps the biggest single reason for poor mental and physical health among seniors is social isolation. OLLI counters that problem by providing learning opportunities in a very social environment," says Barry, who is 75. "For example, we have more than 60 Interest Groups that allow members to make new friendships and have regularly scheduled gatherings." These include Spanish conversation, Art and Architecture, tennis, women's basketball, and memoir writing. New Interest Groups can be created by OLLI mem- bers with board approval. "After living in Santa Cruz for 35 years, I knew few people outside of UCSC, but that changed for the better after joining OLLI." He is Professor Emeritus of MCD Biology. In the past, Barry's major role was to get speakers for OLLI's monthly meeting. His background is fitting; during his time as a UCSC professor, he served on the Young at Heart Young at Heart In Santa Cruz County Continue on page 2 Women's Basketball Interest Group, photo credit Paul Schraub

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