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San Diego OASIS Named 2007-2008 Center of Excellence
"You never know what will lead to future opportunities," says San Diego OASIS director Harry Matheny. As an example, he points to a partnership with Community Options, a job-training program, to teach computer and job search skills. With support from AT&T, the collaboration is training people to be coaches for their peers.
As an OASIS computer instructor, Romayne Bowers is not only living her dream of being an educator, she's also helping others rekindle their dreams. "It's a joy to work with people who now have time to pursue their interests, and give them skills and resources to do it," she says.
Last summer the Community Options program led to a reverse job fair where employers mingled with 60 job-seekers. A Macy's recruitment manager read an article about the fair and has since hired several members part-time.
That kind of "connecting the dots" has led to other partnerships. For the past two years, the center has collaborated with the Point Loma Library to bring a full range of arts, humanities,
wellness and technology classes into their community. "We've offered classes on everything from successful aging to the evolution of psychology," Matheny says. More is on the way - OASIS programs will start at two more libraries in 2007.
Matheny is the first to admit that collaborations do not always fall neatly into place. Funding for the library program was an obstacle until the Friends of the Library agreed to underwrite the classes. "Mutually-beneficial solutions exist when you focus on the higher goal."
Sharing a Vision of Vital LivingA partnership with Aging and Independence Services of San Diego County supports OASIS' work in the community. "Our missions are well aligned," Matheny says. "We share a vision of healthy and vital living." In fact, an Aging Summit co-sponsored by the agency this summer focused on priorities that OASIS is addressing, including obesity, mental health, education and job training. "We don't want our primary role to be to catch people if they fall into trouble," explains agency Director Pam Smith. "We want to weave older adults and their contributions into the community. OASIS is a model of what we want to accomplish on a larger scale." Smith cites OASIS Tutoring and Active Living Every Day as models for change. "OASIS is an action-oriented organization that takes every opportunity and pushes higher." Read about more OASIS Centers of Excellence.