2015 White House Conference on Aging: The
2015 White House Conference on Aging: The Longevity Dividend and the Encore Vision An Encore Perspective for 2015 WHCOA – Prepared by Encore Network Leaders The 2015 White House Conference on Aging is a signal opportunity for our nation to engage in a new conversation and set a new direction that encompasses both the opportunities and challenges associated with America’s changing demographics. With the largest number of healthy older adults in U.S. history and their powerful drive for purpose and legacy, Encore leaders call on the White House to recognize the value of aging as a powerful human‐resources asset and to advance innovation and action to mobilize encore talent for the social good. While many see America’s aging society as a looming problem, the encore perspective is that there is a longevity dividend, an unprecedented opportunity for our country. This new stage of healthy, active life is often motivated by social purpose. Americans in and beyond midlife represent a powerful source of time, talent and experience to help tackle many of our society’s most urgent challenges. Encore Network leaders are working to change how we think and act around aging in America – to capitalize on older adults’ experience as an asset for our society. By embracing the opportunity side, we can transform what is too‐often portrayed as a zero‐sum prospect into a win‐win for individuals and for our communities. Four factors undergird this encore perspective and reinforce the opportunity for a new vision for aging in America: 1. The longevity dividend is opening up an opportunity for a vital new encore stage of life and work. 2. The encore life stage is characterized by a strong desire to have a social impact. 3. The encore movement can deliver a triple win for America – at the intersection of healthy aging, economic security and social impact. 4. Investment in innovation and scaling proven models is needed to fully realize the potential of the encore opportunity – for society and for individuals. The following pages provide greater detail on these four factors, along with information on ideas, research and emerging models that demonstrate new ways to think and act around aging in America. The Encore Network is convened by Encore.org and brings together encore organizations to learn from each other and to act in concert. 1. The longevity dividend is opening the opportunity for a vital new encore stage of life and work. Demographic, economic and social trends mean that Americans in their 50s, 60s and 70s are experiencing a new stage of life between midlife and old age – one that is longer, healthier and often, motivated by social purpose. 2. The encore life stage is characterized by a strong desire to have a social impact. The current generation of boomers (and the generations that will come after) can be a powerful force for social change, as millions flood into this new stage of life with energy, expertise and a new set of encore aspirations. 2014 research by Encore.org and Penn Schoen Berlandi found that 4.5 million Americans ages 50‐70 were already working in encore roles for social impact, and that over the next 5 years, another 21 million will likely join them, in areas such as education, health care human services and the environment. These millions of Americans are the leading edge of the encore movement. 3. The encore movement can deliver a triple win for America – at the intersection of healthy aging, economic security and social impact. Healthy aging: Volunteering and community engagement contribute to healthy aging. Positive physical and mental health outcomes were found in several studiesii by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who compared outcomes for AARP Experience Corps members with adults of similar age, background and volunteer history. Rigorous research documented significant gains in social connections, cognitive ability, physical activity and strength. A long‐term research studyiii of AARP Experience Corps in Baltimore has found both intergenerational and individual benefits from intensive programs in which older adults serve as mentors and tutors in elementary schools. Another small studyiv provided evidence that volunteering produces long‐term health benefits. Economic security and work: New doors to economic security can be opened and achieved through encore work, service and volunteering. Service projects and volunteering can serve as a bridge for older Americans to work, and a way to gain experience and skills to find paid encore work in education, healthcare, social services and other areas. Programs that provide small stipends – Senior Corps (both Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions), AmeriCorps, Senior Community Service Employment Program and others – fill a critical financial gap for many low‐income older Americans. 2 New encore models – the Encore Fellowships Network, ReServe, encore service in AmeriCorps – have emerged and provide more pathways for older adults to transition to encore work. Higher education has responded with new programs to support encore transitions. Examples include: Encore!Hartford at the University of Connecticut, community colleges like Rio Salado College 50+ teacher preparation program in Phoenix and high‐ level leadership development programs, such as Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Institute and Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute. More encore pathways and opportunities are needed to realize the full benefit of encore work for all Americans. Social impact: Encore talent can be effectively mobilized to help address the need for long‐term service and support. Examples of how encore‐stage talent has addressed extant needs include: Boomers Leading Change in Health in Denver, which engages adults 55+ in volunteer and AmeriCorps positions to improve health care by serving as health‐care navigators, community health workers and advocates. The Encore Fellows in Community Health Centers program, which paired former corporate professionals with several California health centers to strengthen operational capacity to service community needs. Executive Service Corps‐United States, a national network of organizations that works to improve the social impact of nonprofits, schools and public agencies by engaging experienced, skilled volunteers and consultants. Growing entrepreneurship among older adults–with 23 percent of new entrepreneurs in 2013 between the ages of 55 and 65.v According to a MetLife Foundation‐funded study,vi many potential entrepreneurs ages 44‐70 are not only interested in making a living, but also in making a positive social impact, with more than 12 million interested in tackling high‐priority needs such as social services, poverty alleviation, at‐risk youth, economic development, health care, the environment and social justice. Individual actions taken by older social entrepreneurs, like 2011 Purpose Prize fellow Im Ja Choi, who founded Penn Asian Senior Services to provide care for elderly Asians by matching them with home health aides (often older adults) who speak their language and understand their culture 4. Investment in innovation and scaling proven models is needed to fully realize the potential of the encore opportunity – for society and for individuals. An urgent question is how to accelerate the encore shift and deepen its social impact – how to help American citizens and leaders recognize and take full advantage of this unprecedented human‐resource windfall. Some older entrepreneurs are taking action on their own; many institutions are emerging to mobilize encore talent for both individual gain and societal benefit. However, continued innovation and scaling of proven models is needed to mobilize the millions of Americans who want to head in an encore direction. 3 Innovative programs working on the front line to harness encore talent include: Replicable program models – encore talent mobilization, pathways and engagement AARP Experience Corps (AZ, CA, CT, DC, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX) AARP Life Reimagined (national) Coming of Age (CA, DE, FL, IL, KS, MD, MO, NY, PA, TX) Encore Fellowships Network (AZ, CA MA, NM, NY, OH, OR, WA) Executive Service Corps—United States (CA, CT, FL, IN, IL, KS, KY, MA, ME,MI, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, TX, VT, WA, WI) Jesuit Volunteer EnCorps, a program of JVC Northwest (OR, WA) Jumpstart – intergenerational “college corps” with older adult “community corps” (MA and other locations) ReServe (FL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, RI, WI) The Transition Network (CA, DC, FL, GA, IL, MA, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, VA) National and community service – paid and volunteer AmeriCorps – 10 percent encore service target AmeriCorps VISTA National Older Worker Career Center (recruitment offices in VA,, TX, CO; placements in 35 states) RSVP Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) Senior Corps – Foster Grandparents Program and Senior Companions Locally‐based encore initiatives Aspiranet Encore Initiatives, CA Boomers Leading Change in Health, CO Cleveland Foundation Encore Initiative, OH Encore Boston Network, MA Encore Tampa Bay, FL Experience Matters, AZ Generations, Inc., MA Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Encore, MI Michigan Encore Executives in Residence for State Government, MI Next Chapter, KS SHiFT, MN Vital Aging Network, MN Corporate Intel Corporation‐sponsored Encore Fellowships program, national Higher education American Association of Community Colleges Plus 50 initiative, national Pace University Encore Transition Program, NY Portland Community College, Life by Design, OR 4 Rio Salado College 50+ teacher preparation program, AZ Stanford University, Distinguished Careers Institute, CA University of Connecticut Encore!Hartford, CT University of Washington Encore Initiative, WA Harvard University Advanced Leadership Institute, MA Boston College, Sloan Center on Aging and Work, Chestnut Hill, MA Lasell College, RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies, Newton, MA Washington University in St. Louis, Brown School of Social Work Age‐friendly city/county efforts Maricopa Association of Governments Greater Phoenix Age‐Friendly Network, AZ Age‐Friendly Portland, OR Milken Institute Best Cities for Successful Aging Mayor’s Pledge campaign, national World Health Organization—Age‐Friendly World, the global network of age-friendly cities and communities National organizations and advocates Encore.org Generations United Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging For more information: Contact: Betsy Werley, Director of Network Expansion, Encore.org, Bwerley@encore.org Encore Network website: encore.org/encore‐network Encore.org website: encore.org i “Encore Careers: The Persistence of Purpose.” Encore.org. 2014. http://www.encore.org/files/2014EncoreResearchOverview.pdf ii “Researchers Find Sustained Improvement in Health in Experience Corps Tutors Over 55: Students are not the only ones who benefit from school‐based tutoring.” Washington University in St. Louis. March 12, 2009 http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/13681.aspx iii “Experience Corps Baltimore: Exploring the Stressors and Rewards of High‐intensity Civic Engagement.” The Gerontological Society of America. March 3, 2014. http://media.wix.com/ugd/f50e74_5b57b24bd1e64a93aa7ec0c5ee895160.pdf iv Volunteer Work in Grade Schools Produces Persistent Health Benefit for Older Black Women. February 2009. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/Volunteer_Work_in_Grade_Schools_Produces_Persistent_He alth_Benefit_for_Older_Black_Women v “Infographic: Boomer Entrepreneurs and the State of Entrepreneurship.” Kauffman Foundation. February 2, 2015. http://www.kauffman.org/multimedia/infographics/2015/infographic‐boomer‐entrepreneurs‐and‐the‐state‐of‐ entrepreneurship vi “Encore Entrepreneurs: Creating Jobs, Meeting Needs.” 2011. Encore.org (formerly Civic Ventures). http://www.encore.org/files/EntrepreneurshipFastFacts.pdf 5
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