What is Senior Odyssey?
Senior Odyssey is Odyssey of the Mind -- perfected with age!
Seniors participate in teams and work together to solve "problems" and create scenarios that address the "problem." Then they present it at a competition in a skit type format. Teams are also given "spontaneous problems" where they are asked a question such as, "Name things that are red" and they must come up with as many creative responses as they can in a limited time. In Senior Odyssey, participants are doing the exact same thing students have done in Odyssey of the mind for over 30 years! (www.odysseyofthemind.com)
Senior Odyssey, aside from being so much fun, encourages older adults to use their lifelong skills and knowledge and encourages them to be creative.
Senior Odyssey combines decision making, creativity, collaboration, evaluation, competition, socialization, and fun!
Senior Odyssey encourages older adults to use their lifelong skills and knowledge in creative ways to keep their minds active and engaged. Working together with their peers, Senior Odyssey provides an opportunity for seniors to utilize their minds and spirits by immersing older adults in creative problem solving with others. Using the prescribed curriculum, participants in Senior Odyssey tap into their personal wealth of knowledge and life experience, and share with their team members their ideas to solve creative problems.
Originally funded by the National Institute for Aging, Senior Odyssey began as a community-based research program of the University of Illinois-Adult Learning Lab. With tremendous support from the researchers at the Beckman Institute at the Unitversiy of Illinois, Senior Neighbors, Inc. brought the program to Michigan in 2011. Senior Odyssey of Michigan is now a program of Senior Neighbors, Inc. and is available to teams of older adults throughout the state!
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