Center 50+ Teen Summer Internship Program Reflections: Zhaoying Xie

This summer, Salem high school students took part in the Center 50+ Teen Summer Internship program, which fosters meaningful connections between teens and older adults through shared activities. For the next few days we're sharing the personal reflections of the teens themselves.

By Zhaoying Xie

The Center 50+ Summer Internship Program gave me an opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone, connect with my neighbors and become more involved in my community. Before this internship, I would often see people in my neighborhood and simply wave or say hello, but I did not really know much about them. Through this experience, I was able to have meaningful conversations with my neighbors and learn more about the people who live around me.

One of my favorite parts of the internship was learning about the history of my neighborhood. I enjoyed hearing stories and learning about the experiences of people who have lived in the community for many years. It made me realize that my neighborhood is more than just the place where I live. It is a community made up of people with different backgrounds, experiences and stories.

For my intergenerational activity, I decided to organize a community potluck where everyone could bring a dish to share and try. I chose a potluck because food is something that can bring people together and make it easier to start conversations. I wanted to create a comfortable environment where neighbors of different ages could meet, talk and get to know one another.

Center 50+ was also able to provide tables, chairs and board games for the potluck, which helped make the event possible. Having these resources allowed everyone to have a comfortable place to sit, eat and participate in activities together. The question prompts and board games also gave us something to talk about and helped start conversations that we might not have had otherwise.

The best part of bringing my neighbors together was seeing the connections that formed. People who may have only waved or said "hi" to each other before were now sitting together, sharing food, telling stories and laughing. The smiles on their faces and the laughter throughout the evening showed me how meaningful a simple gathering could be.

Overall, this internship taught me that building a stronger community does not always require something complicated. Sometimes it starts with creating an opportunity for people to sit together, share a meal and have a conversation. I am grateful that I had the chance to step outside of my comfort zone, learn about my neighbors and create an experience that brought people together.