As of our last conversation we struggled to articulate “the question”. We’ve seen a lot of material out there addressing ageism and are wondering what’s needed? What’s missing? What can we add? We do not want to talk to the same people over and over, or repeat messages already out there.
A key issue that emerged was why all these existing messages (and conferences, etc) do not seem to be working, that ageist attitudes seem to be pervasive and not (yet) recognized as a serious prejudice that affects our culture, our families, our hopes, our transportation systems, housing, our laws and policies, and our economy/workplaces. DEI discussions, for instance, do not seem to include ageism.
We discussed the fact that there has not (yet) been a pivotal or watershed moment in the ageist realm. An event or issue that brought ageism to the attention of the broad population. Examples abound in other areas (racism, food inequality, environmental injustice).
This is the place where, at least as of now, we sense a need and an opening. Can we create a mechanism/forum to review and assess the efficacy of the anti-ageism efforts? Are the messages missing the mark? Or are they not being projected to the right media and audiences? Or both?
We also mentioned our sense that younger people might be more receptive to these issues, both because they, too, face issues due solely to their age and, second, because they just might be more open to these messages.
Finally, we wondered if there’s a path to implementing these ideas through Encore, especially if we broaden it to include multi-generations.
Bottom line: How Can We Be Helpful?