When we were young, how did we envision the almost unimaginable future date of, say, 2025? In this course, as a group we will become familiar with and use participatory methods and reminiscence activities to examine our subjective visions of the future at generational intervals, as young adults and in midlife periods in our lives, corresponding to approximately 1965 and 1995. How closely did our collective vision align with the reality of the world today? What social issues, ongoing political changes, and technological advances did we anticipate? To what extent were we surprised, disappointed or relieved at how things turned out? In hindsight, how might we have lived our lives differently if we had known how the world was to unfold? Perhaps more importantly, what can we do now to influence the future of, say, 2055?

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Your Instructor: John is retired from teaching Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. John also worked in a variety of human service roles: early childhood education, community mental health, aging services, and geriatric partial hospitalization programs. John earned a Ph.D. in the Administration and Leadership Studies for Nonprofits program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2010. John “fully” retired and relocated to Olympia in 2019 but continues to be involved in a variety of volunteer activities.

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This workshop is a journey of discovery about what to expect each decade of your life beyond age 65.  It includes ways to enjoy the life you have, find ways to enhance the lives of those close to you, and respond to issues of the times affecting us all.  Through identifying what you now appreciate about life and what you already are contributing, we plan together next steps for future possibilities in late life.  Through creation of our own unique design, we find ways to balance and find meaning and purpose in the way we choose to spend our time and respond to the world around us.

Your Instructor: Marty (Martha) Worcester is a Consultant for Aging with a rich background in Growth and Development in the decades of life after age 65. She works with individuals and groups to acquire information needed to meet the challenges and find enjoyment unique to each decade of late life. She fosters appreciation of the age you are and valuing all those on the journey with you as you create your own Late Life Designs.

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Join us as we continue to explore the unique experiences and perspectives of Original People’s using a Storyworks lens.  We will continue to delve into the challenges faced by peoples of the Northwest Nations, examining issues related to land rights, environmental justice, cultural preservation and political sovereignty. Wholistically examining Native American narratives, we will gain further understanding of our Northwest Nations communities.  By indigenizing our shared thinking, empathy, and an ongoing commitment to justice and integrity, we will work toward a more just and equitable future for our Indigenous communities.

Your Instructor: Professor Ron Johnson is an enrolled member of the Makah Nation in Neah Bay.  His mother Julie is an enrolled member of the Lummi Nation. Ron has worked in a variety of natural resource fields, has three beautiful children, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate degree.  Ron Johnson has taught courses at The Evergreen State College and currently teaches at Northwest Indian College.

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We use our brain all day every day.  It even works while we are sleeping.  Since we don’t see it (like we see our skin) it’s easy to ignore the impact of our daily choices.  What does it take to improve and maintain optimal brain health?  This four part series will cover various timely topics, including, but not limited to: Learning the elements of an inflammatory diet; how foods are helpful and harmful; what sort of exercise does your  brain need; neural pathways and how to make new ones; examining your habits and learning to create new ones; sugar- it’s nearly irresistible power and what it does to your brain; your brain and the rest of your body are communicating with each other all of the time, but what are the messages; lifestyle choces and how they can support or diminish your brain power, and getting better acquainted with the inner workings of your thoughts empowering yourself to make better choices.

Your Instructor: Mary Ellen Psaltis, BPh, is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant and Senior Nutrition Specialist. She believes food is a foundation for well-being and has been published regularly for over 25 years on topics around lifestyle choices and food. Mary Ellen is also a speaker who provides nutrition education to dental professionals around the US and Canada. Her personal food path over the years has evolved with education, age and the desire to keep her body, brain and whole self in optimal shape. She loves to accompany and encourage others along their personal journeys.

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When we hear stories of the “rise and fall” of civilizations, the perspective is usually of ancient civilizations such as Mycenaean, Persion, Roman, or Carthagenian civilizations.  Joseph Tainter, in his great book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” evaluates the historical reasons for how these complex societies collapsed.  He covers the Roman Empire and Mayan civilizations in depth.  The advantage of also studying Jared Diamond’s book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” is that Jared includes newer societies like the Vikings, and the Chinese.  The book also discusses societies that succeeded and why.  How do we define collapse?  What are the signs prior to the collapse?  What are the differences between chiefdoms versus state complexity?  We will study theiores of how the state arose,  ten of the conventional explanations of collapse, and the shortcomings of each.  We will probe marginal productivity and its decline along with the increasing cost of informational processing.  It is unfortunate that theories of collapse do not include industrial capitalist societies in either of these books.  For conservative and liberal historians alike, the thought of industrial capitalist societies collapsing is very uncomfortable.  What is the place of capitalism in social collapse?  Does it slow the process or amplify collapse?  We will apply Tainter’s criteria of collapse to the U.S. today as we together ask, is the U.S. in the midst of collapsing?

Your Instructor: Bruce Lerro has been a night-school college teacher for 27 years. He has taught in alternative college settings, in prisons, the Air Force, Navy and community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bruce has written eight books, including three on the application of Russian Lev Vygotsky’s work on word history. He’s also a pen-and-ink- artist.

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Science, spirituality and mindfulness meet in Part 3 of this series on integration.  Our goal will be to explore topics such as non-duality, formlessness, impermanance, and the human connection to mystery and the divine--without getting too woo-woo or frustratingly abstract.  We’ll take a practical look at studies of brain anatomy showing the human capacity to dissolve mental boundaries of separation and connect us to a greater whole, where meditation practices of open awareness and the “self-transcendent” emotions of compassion, gratitude, and awe help us find integration outside of ourselves, beyond the limitations of our fixed identities.  In addition to discussion and sharing, we’ll have a variety of guided meditations designed to relax, heal, and energize us as we dissolve old patterns of thought and access this greater realm of integrated consciousness.

Your Instructor: Margo Benedetto is a certified mindfulness instructor and veteran classroom teacher in Washington State. She was a leader in bringing mindfulness education to Centralia School District from 2015-2020 and continues to provide personal and professional development on mindfulness for individuals and groups.She enjoys the variety of classroom setting she finds for her work, including Thurston County Dog 4-H, Olympia Senior Services and North Thurston Public Schools.

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Conga drumming in community enhances cognitive, social-emotional and physical wellness. In this dynamic, hands-on class, you will explore simple techniques for creating different drum timbres and world percussion, improvise based on traditional rhythms and explore interlocking patterns in a community circle format. Cultivate energy, joy and connection through the magic of drumming! Class limited to 12 participants.

Your Instructor:  Kerri Lynn Nichols, MA Music and Arts Education, has 35+ years experience teaching voice, percussion and movement to all ages. She privately studied percussion in the Afro-Latin tradition and in tandem with music and dance at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Ms. Nichols has presented percussion workshops for state, national and international conferences. She is the founding Artistic Director for The Olympia Peace Choirs and a published author through Beatin’ Path Publications.

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The Pyramids of Giza, King Tut’s Tomb, mummies, the “gift of the Nile”; these are just some of the images we associate with Ancient Egypt.  This class will take us on a journey through more than three millenia of pharaohs, monumental architecture, art, mythology, religion, and the daily life of the Egyptian people.  If you have been to Egypt or are contemplating a visit, or you are simply interested in the ancient world, this class is for you!  During the class we will try to examine both the reality of, and the layers of myth and misconception that surround Egypt.  The class will be lecture based with considerable time for questions and lively group discussion.

Your Instructor: Tony Usibelli is an avid student of the ancient world and has a B.A. in classical archaeology and art history from the Univ. of Missouri and the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. He is an active member of the Puget Sound chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America, the Puget Sound Ancient Numismatic group and has taught classes at Evergreen and SPSCC. Tony has taught Ancient Italy since Fall 2022 and Ancient Greece since Spring 2024 through the Senior Academy.

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