Engaging the Wisdom

With the first of 77 million baby boomers turning 60 in 2006, the United States experienced a massive demographic shift. As a group, these older adults are the largest, healthiest and best educated generation to move through and beyond their fifties. And according to research, members of this generation are looking to make a difference. That's why the Kalamazoo Community Foundation created its Engaging the Wisdom initiative.

By encouraging civic engagement through Engaging the Wisdom, the Community Foundation seeks to advance the perspective that adults in their sixties and beyond are an integral and valued part of every community. In the 1960s and 1970s, the post-war generation fundamentally altered society's perception of youth. In decades to come, baby boomers will continue to lead the way, challenging old realities and perspectives about age and experience.

The Community Opportunity

As part of Engaging the Wisdom, the Community Foundation in 2009 became a part of The Intergenerational Center at Temple University's Communities for All Ages project, which was designed to help communities throughout the country address critical issues from a multi-generational perspective. 

In Kalamazoo, the Community Foundation is supporting a Communities for All Ages team of Northside neighborhood leaders, youths and older adults that developed an action plan to help Alternative Middle School (located in the Northside neighborhood on Cobb Street) take full advantage of The Kalamazoo Promise by engaging the entire Northside community in activities that:

• Remove barriers to learning
• Provide enriching activities that encourage and support students, their families and the school; and
• Mobilize neighborhood residents of all ages to support the school through volunteer opportunities.