Name: Dora Bremond
Social Justice Group: The Rights of the Elderly
Date of Fieldwork: December 6, 2017
Name of Organization: JASA
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles:
Type of Fieldwork: Direct Action
What I did:
During this fieldwork, we got to experience an amazing adventure with other elders! We did chair yoga with elders at JASA. We did yoga moves such as reaching your hand up in the air or trying to reach your feet. At the end of the one-hour yoga experience, we talked to the woman who taught the class and it was interesting to see her point of view. She mentioned that the elders are so passionate about this class and that they come very often. We only had a short discussion with her but it was very impactful to see the view of someone who wants to help in our society! Before and after the yoga, Ben, Liam and I had short discussions with elders such as: “Hi, how are you! What is your name?” Some of them talked a lot and told us about their lives, and others just simply sat in their chairs waiting for the lesson to begin.
What I learned:
During this fieldwork, I learned that there are so many elders that are willing to exercise. Many of them want to stay active and fit, which is amazing because of the motivation they have! I wonder where all of their motivation comes from… It was also interesting to see that the smallest movements like reaching their hands up in the air were difficult for them. Some of them had trouble doing the movements, yet they still got out of their homes and got to their destination to do yoga. Many elders said that they even went to practice yoga once a week!
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
I learned that an opportunity like this one can make an elder’s day. If only our community had more people volunteering and helping out, most of the elders (the ones that are capable to move around that much) could find something to do instead of staying home all day. As Morrie would say in Tuesdays With Morrie, “Live every day like it’s your last”. This reminded me of Morrie because he would say that every elder should get the same opportunity as someone else would which is why we need more organizations and programs to help the senior citizens live their rest of their life the best that they can!
