Teens Learn How to "Act" Like Grown-Ups

Posted October 26, 2007, 4:12 pm by Growing Bolder


What can an 18-year-old learn from an 80-year-old?  You might be surprised.   

High school students from across the country are learning from some of the wisest people in the world, thanks to an intergenerational program inspired by the work of award-winning photographer Jerry Friedman. 

Friedman spent four years traveling across the globe to photograph and interview the 60 oldest people on earth.  To be qualified as a "supercentenarian," a person must be have made it to his or her 110th birthday.

That's not only a lot of candles to blow out on the birthday cake -- it's a lot of knowledge, and Friedman has made it his mission to share that wisdom through his book and the organization Earth's Elders Foundations. 

Friedman calls the people he profiles "human time capsules," but he also wants to make sure that his interviews reach a younger audience.

He tells Growing Bolder that his newest passion is helping students and teachers echo his work by providing them a blueprint for documenting the lives and legacies of older adults in their own lives.

For the students at Repertory Company High School in New York City, the project became a life-changing journey.

They each interviewed one person and focused on their background in the performing arts.  Then, the group took those stories and worked them into a special musical performance. Carol King is 16 years old and tells Growing Bolder that it was very easy to relate to the people they met. 

"They once were teenagers, too.  And we love acting, dancing, singing.  They do, too."    

Carol calls the project inspiring.  So does Amanda Martinez.  She says that as a dancer, it was great for her to learn about the nightclubs that young women danced in years ago.

Both young women tell Growing Bolder that they have a new image of what growing older means.

Friedman encourages people to look in their own communities for stories of inspiration.  He says he hopes that his work moves people to think and change their attitudes.  One reader at a time, one school at a time,  he's making his mark and leaving his own legacy.

To see the kids in action, click the play button below the image on the right.


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