ARTA Café
mmunications Committee, was
have an increased presence at teachers’
chers, discuss retirement, and promote
rmats were tested.
people right next door to the ARTA booth, which was
staffed by trained ARTA staff and volunteers.
Interestingly, some of the people who stopped
for a cookie and coffee began the conversation with
‘I still have a long way to go before I can retire.’
However, as the conversation unfolded, it turned
out that some of these people were only two or three
years away. It felt very good to be able to direct
them next door to the ARTA booth to begin their
retirement planning journey.
Feedback from branches and volunteers involved in
ARTA Cafés was overwhelmingly positive. With the
success of this pilot initiative, the Communications
Committee has decided to continue this initiative for
a second year. Look for two more ARTA Cafés, at two
different teachers’ conventions, in 2021. ●
news&views SUMMER 2020 | 13