Our Initiative
The Communities for All Ages team
- International Sonoran Desert Alliance *
- Desert Senita Community Health Center
- Ajo Transportation
- Ajo Unified School District
- Arizona Youth Partnershiop
- Hia C’ed O’odham Alliance
- Ajo Council for the Fine Arts
* Collaborative Agent
Our funder:
Phase of Development:
- IMPLEMENTATION
Starting date: 2005
The Ajo Communities for All Ages team has been successful in cultivating economic and cultural opportunities for residents of all ages. Illustrating a key strategy of Communities for All Ages - Creating programs and places to intentionally promote interaction and connection across age- the International Sonoran Desert Alliance took the lead in restoring a vacant 7.5 acre school campus in our town and in creating a vibrant multicultural and multigenerational center. The high school is now 30 live/work apartments for artists and artisans (creating economic opportunity) and the former auditorium with an indoor/outdoor stage is a natural location for community events (bringing people of all cultures and ages together). Other renovated buildings include a community learning lab (home of a multigenerational GED program), a microenterprise center, shared workspace, classrooms, and an arts and crafts gallery. A community commercial kitchen is in the works, along with rooms for a retreat center. The campus has become a permanent institutional anchor and a hub for intergenerational activity.
The intergenerational focus and perspective of Communities for All Ages now infuses all of our work on the Curley school campus. Whether it’s the creative classes, GED classes, microenterprise center, community-learning lab, art gallery, or cultural crafts groups, we are committed to using the skills of community members across the life span to provide a range of opportunities and supports.
Following our success with the Curley school, we have begun to expand our vision and create a broader range of places to promote intergenerational and cross-cultural interaction and connection. We recently purchased the historic downtown plaza and restored the center green for community use for all residents. At any time of day you can see our community, in all its cultural and generational diversity, enjoying the green. Three new businesses have opened up, and we are recruiting more…with an intentional focus on businesses that will provide opportunities and resources for residents across the lifespan.
The developing levels of trust and social networks among community members are strengthened and celebrated during the community events and celebrations that we organize regularly including our annual celebration of International Day of Peace (September 21st) in which over 500 people of all ages gather to celebrate community with our international neighbors from Sonora, Mexico, and the Tohono O’odham Nation. . . this is only one event that makes Ajo a great place to grow up…and to grow old.
