A NEW DATE!

How Can We Recognize And Unlock The Assets Of Older Adults, in Order to Build Stronger Communities?

Register here. There is no cost to register. We will be hosting two Global Gatherings that focus on the same question. Please register for only one of these. Please use this Time and Date Converter to double-check the date and time in your part of the world.

It’s an old adage in the aging network – “Aging- Everybody’s Doing It!” and indeed that is a universal circumstance for every person on the planet. Yet, as we age, we also get inducted into a “labeled community” with all the presumptions, pejoratives, prejudices, perceptions, and biases that any labeled community endures. Even if we have never been before, we are thrust into a group and transformed into a “bucket of needs.”

But these same people, often 20-25% of the local population, are a community’s most experienced citizens, with gifts honed over a lifetime. How can these immense assets and gifts be identified, appreciated, and applied in any community? How have communities that engage and connect with these citizens gained when they are integrated into the mainstream of community life? How can ABCD tools be used to eliminate a framework of deficiency to one of purpose and abundance? If everybody’s doing it, how can we improve it and use it in everybody’s community?

Ideas, stories, and examples are out there. What are yours? Join us and share.

What is a Global Gathering?

Global Gatherings are NOT webinars or presentations. They are opportunities for members of ABCD in Action to engage in meaningful conversations. We don't have the answers to the questions we propose, but we'll provide a space for you to share your stories, ideas, and questions. Our hosts will guide you through a series of questions in small groups in order to help you think together about the questions we propose.

At the end of our scheduled time together, you can stick around for the "after-party", a chance to just hang out for 30 minutes and talk about whatever is important to you.

Co-hosts for this Global Gathering:

Michael Marcus, United States

Michael lives with his wife, Virginia, north of Raleigh, NC. He practices ABCD in his work with not-for-profits helping to build community-based programs and supports with, by, and for older adults, as a trainer and a steward of the ABCD Institute. Michael also practices ABCD organizing intergenerational food-centered community-based projects through Generations United and introducing North American activists in the field of aging to their counterparts in other parts of the world through Shared World Tours. When not practicing ABCD, he spends a great deal of time hiking in the woods of this beautiful state.

Deb Wisniewski, United States

Deb lives with her spouse, Steve, and our dog in a small island community in Wisconsin, where she learns about community every day. She is a connector at heart and loves hearing and telling stories. Deb is a trainer and facilitator. She is a co-founder of and the lead community host for ABCD in Action, as well as a steward of the ABCD Institute.

Questions? Contact Deb Wisniewski, ABCD in Action Lead Host.