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Community Experience Partnership |
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Community Experience Partnership
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 is participating in Community Experience Partnership, a nationwide program created to make it easier for people over 60 to improve life for everyone in their community.
By encouraging civic engagement through Community Experience Partnership, 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 Social Opportunity
Well-prepared or taken by surprise, communities nationwide are about to experience a surge in the population of adults over 60. Many of these boomers are fit, focused and looking forward to new challenges. They are pioneers in a new stage spanning the decades between middle and late life. They represent an extraordinary pool of social and human capital.
Millions are determined to apply their life experiences to make a difference for others. Some are able to do so as unpaid volunteers. Others, through second careers tailored to their interests and circumstances, are looking to combine income and health benefits of employment with elements of meaningful services. But too often, their individual enthusiasm is stymied by perceptions, policies and practices that discourage the sharing of experience. As a result, this growing number of Americans represents a largely untapped resources in a nation with many unmet needs.
While demographics vary from place to place, every U.S. community will experience profound changes as boomers grow older. In the years between traditional career and retirement, adults can employ the totality of their life experience, professional expertise, insight, and wisdom for the benefit of society. Through work—paid or volunteer—that helps others, older adults can:
• Provide civic leadership
• Contribute to the common good
• Advance their own lifelong learning
• Increase understanding and strengthen relationships across generations
• Inspire others of all ages to embrace service
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