Emi Kiyota Announced As 2017 Loeb Fellow

Congratulations to IAHSA Board Member and Ibasho Founder, Emi Kiyota, who was awarded a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.  Emi will be joining the class of 2017 fellows to explore and expand on her current work in creating communities that value elders and providing opportunities for seniors to make meaningful, long-lasting contributions.

Emi’s work and goal within the program is described as follows:

Born in Japan and working internationally from Washington, DC, Emi Kiyota founded the non-profit Ibasho to foster places of belonging and purpose for seniors. She recognized that while elders are a vulnerable population, especially in times of disaster, they also want to remain connected and useful to their communities. With that in mind, following the 2011 Japan tsunami she designed and built the first Ibasho café, where all generations come together for services and support. While replicating the model in other countries, she will also be working on reimagining communities to enhance the functional competence and engagement of older adults and promote cross-cultural multigenerational learning.

Emi will join nine other leaders in residence from around the globe, sharing a common purpose of strengthening and enhancing “their ability to advance positive social outcomes and to makethe world a better place for all.”

Congratulations again, Emi!

Click here to learn more about this prestigious program and the 2017 Fellows.