July 23, 2025 —Ensō Village has embraced meaningful growth through learning at every stage of life. This year, they welcomed the wider Healdsburg community and fostered intergenerational connections through a local internship program. Residents also led the charge to expand Ensō Village’s lifelong learning series.
These initiatives showcase the community’s commitment to purposeful engagement during retirement.
Welcoming Healdsburg Students to Ensō Village
In 2024, Ensō Village opened its doors to Healdsburg High School juniors looking to complete their school’s internship program. Unique to Sonoma County, the program prepares tomorrow’s workforce by exposing high school students to real-world work experiences and matching them with mentors from over 80 local businesses, who provide guidance and honest feedback.
In its first year as a participant, Ensō Village welcomed two students, Karen and Edgar into a hands-on learning environment, where they gained insights into business, marketing and community operations.
“It was wonderful to share the joys of working within the senior living field with Karen and Edgar,” shared Nick Flores, Director of Marketing & Communications, who oversaw the internship program and worked alongside Healdsburg High School juniors to ensure a valuable, hands-on experience.
Beginning with a comprehensive tour of campus, the students gained essential context on Ensō Village’s offerings, the first and crucial step in business and marketing development. They also conducted an interview with a resident to craft a testimonial framed as advice to other generations to reinforce the importance of resident storytelling within the field.
To ensure diversity of experiences, the interns also had the opportunity to participate in independent projects. Karen spent a day shadowing Ensō Village Care Companions, where she gained firsthand experience in supporting Assisted Living residents with their daily activities. Edgar worked to streamline the process of storage assignments, ensuring an equitable and efficient storage system for incoming residents.
Finally, the student collaborated to create Ensō Village’s first-ever TikTok video, using a creative “opening doors” theme to introduce the community through short video clips to reach a younger social media audience.
A Commitment to Lifelong Learning
While Ensō Village fostered intergenerational connections, residents also developed a lifelong learning initiative for this new community that resembles a similar dedication to fostering intellectual connections that longstanding Kendal communities have become synonymous with.
Residents Jeanne and Larry Ferrante curated and led an on-campus program that supported a vital aspect of the Ensō Village community: enriching residents’ intellectual lives through art, culture, social sciences, sciences and humanities.
Open to residents on a weekly basis, the forum features lectures on a variety of topics presented by residents and by members of the greater community, occasionally incorporating Friday night workshops.
“We love seeing residents engaged in these presentations and their commitment to making these opportunities accessible to everyone,” shared Jeanne.
Creating a Culture of Purpose and Participation
Ensō Village’s commitment to lifelong learning and intergenerational connections is a powerful testament to what it means to lead a community with purpose.
From resident-led initiatives to welcoming the Healdsburg community, the Ensō Village continues to curate meaningful opportunities for residents and the wider community that foster a culture of learning, sharing and growing.
Ensō Village is excited to create new opportunities that build bridges with younger generations for a bright future.