In case you missed our December email, here’s a 2022 recap from our Director, Janine Vanderburg. Her first sentence sums it up – a lot has been happening in the world of ageism activism. We’re seeing this conversation spread and grow. It’s even showing up in mainstream places, including media where we’ve been featured, like The Boston Globe and MarketWatch. Take a look at our media page to see more.
The ranks are growing
It’s been a busy year. Thousands of people in all 50 states in the United States and 24 countries outside have participated in one or more of our programs:
- Educating hundreds of employers in events like this one with the Center for Workforce Inclusion Labs about the very strong business case for older workers and intergenerational teams, and why including age in DEI policies is important
- Partnering with workforce development centers to train older workers on successful job seeking strategies
- Training current and aspiring healthcare professionals on how to be more age-inclusive in their practices, and educating ALL of us on how to speak up when we encounter ageism in healthcare
- Hosting conversations with authors like Dr. Becca Levy, Tracey Gendron and Jonathan Rauch
- Sharing our Guidelines to Age-Inclusive Communications with media outlets and organizations around the country that communicate about aging and ageism, so that they avoid the outdated stereotypes and messages about older people
- Working with partners to educate lawmakers about what older adults need in the workforce, and to strengthen age discrimination laws
- Creating toolkits like the Becca Levy Book Club Toolkit and the Antidotes for Ageism Discussion Guide that accompanies the film to allow more of you to conduct ageism awareness activities and conversations in your own communities.
- Continuing to train industry leaders on Reframing Aging and . . .
- Train all of us on what we can do to end ageism together!
It takes more than a village
More and more people are talking about ageism around the world. Each month, we’ve hosted a Coffee Chat. Engagement has been impressive and, with the advantage of virtual meetings, people from across the US and from other countries have joined us. Our 2022 recap also includes a new partnership with colleagues in the UK to form BetterBirthdays.org. As we know, birthdays are the one time most of us think about aging. Birthday cards often define the conversation. Stay tuned for more! In January 2023, we’ll be launching a new round of age-positive birthday cards. We can’t wait to see the conversation grow even bigger.
Every year, we see this mission to end ageism gaining traction. We look forward to all the ways it will grow in 2023 and beyond. And, we look forward to connecting and working with all of you who have joined the movement. It will take us all to create a world where we do not use age to judge and limit ourselves and each other.
Want to join us? Let us know by completing our Join the Movement form and you’ll receive emails about our events and campaigns. Looking forward to working together in 2023 to create a world without ageism.
You make our work possible. Donate before the end of the year and help us keep up the fight in 2023!