On Monday, Ed Mann joined the town of Scarborough as the new Senior and Youth Programs coordinator with the Community Services Department.

Although he will be helping out with youth programs, his main focus will be on developing, implementing and supervising the town’s programs for those age 55-plus, including recreational and educational activities, as well as special events and more.

Mann will also work with the Seniors Program Advisory Board and his office will be located at Wentworth School, where the town has set up a new drop-in activity center for older residents. The center is open every Friday, 9-11 a.m. The activities offered include a variety of games from cribbage to dominoes, and space has also been specifically set aside for knitting and crocheting.

Mann lives in Saco, on the edge of the Rachel Carson Wildlife Preserve, with his wife of 25 years. The two keep backyard chickens as pets.

“They take care of the ticks and mosquitoes and give us delicious fresh eggs each day,” Mann said.

He and his wife have two grown children: Abby, 25, who resides in Portland, and Mikey, 24, who lives in San Francisco. In addition, Mann’s mother-in-law recently moved in with them.

Mann has a bachelor’s degree in education from Husson University and comes to Scarborough after serving as the program director and program assistant for senior programs with the Biddeford Recreation Department. He has also worked in retail, been the technical director for both a small technology services company and a pediatric orthopedic hospital and served as the operations manager for the Ferry Beach Park Association.

This week Mann spoke with the Current about why he applied for the senior program coordinator job in Scarborough and his plans for the town’s senior population.

Q: What drew you to the position?

A: Serving the seniors in the city of Biddeford has been a truly rewarding experience for me. I loved interacting with them to plan and provide quality programming but the position was only part-time. I discovered that Scarborough was seeking a full-time coordinator and just had to check out the opportunity. Knowing that the town wants to expand programs got me very excited about the possibility of coming to Scarborough. Once I met the various team members I’d be working with, I knew this position was a great fit for me.

Q: Youth and seniors are distinct populations. How will you serve them both equally?

A: Yes, they are very different. I am at my best professionally when serving seniors and this is where my passions run the deepest. But, I also enjoy working with youth and I’m trained and quite capable of providing support for their programs, too.

Luckily there are others on the team who specialize in youth programming and they will be focused on that role. However, because I will be serving in a department that provides intergenerational programming, it is expected that we will all assist one another, and therefore I will be engaged in youth programs at times.

Q: What is important when planning programming for seniors?

A: Exceptional senior programming must be diverse and varied, offering daily and weekly activities, luncheons/socials with entertainment and fantastic trips, from half-day, to all-day and multi-day. Programs must also feature rich experiences with food, fun, socialization, learning and travel adventure for the enrichment of the body, mind and spirit.

It is vital that we forge partnerships throughout the community to showcase our programs and to leverage existing resources that also have a stake in the well-being of our senior community. High quality is a thread that should run throughout any program that’s offered, beginning with how folks are greeted and made comfortable, continuing on with the caliber of the entertainment/destination/activity, and finishing with a smooth and measured return to their daily lives.

For example, on a longer haul, time needs to be managed so that the senior travelers are engaged but also have some down time. Wonderful adventures, well planned and managed, make people buzz with excitement. They talk to their neighbors and friends, and soon others want to join in on the fun, too.

Q: What is important when planning programming for youth?

A: Youth programming must be structured, safe and inclusive for all participants. Programs typically weave fun, learning, socialization and civic engagement together in a way that is balanced and developmentally appropriate. Correct staffing ratios are also critical to ensure safety and success with youth programming.

Q: Do you have plans for any new programs or events?

A: Yes. I have a number of ideas brewing right now. It is very important to have one or two multi-day trips scheduled per year and to have these in place well in advance so that people can plan accordingly and booking minimums can be met. I’m thinking of perhaps offering trips to Branson, Mo., and Atlantic City for 2016, but I’d also like to get a quick read on any pent-up demand once I’m on the job.

One program I’d like to get up and running right away is a monthly birthday party to which every Scarborough 55-plus program member who shares the birth month would get an invitation. This is a fantastic way to get unique groups of people together in a celebratory social setting in the hope that new friendships will develop.

Q: What do you most enjoy about working with seniors?

A: The 55-plus population is unique in so many wonderful ways. Their formative experiences were similar to those of my own Generation X, but distinctly different from the experiences of millennials. This population understands the rich rewards that come with civic involvement. They really believe that each of us “is our brother’s keeper” and that we can’t go it alone. They still read the newspaper and while many of them use social media, they aren’t addicted to it. They are also fully present in a way that only rich life experience makes possible. I thoroughly enjoy their company and I love to see them living their lives to the fullest.

Ed Mann took up the post of Senior and Youth Programs coordinator with Scarborough’s Community Services Department.

Copy the Story Link