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Our current initiative, Two Old
Women, grows out of the recommendations for community organizations and decision
makers outlined in a report published by the NCOA, to "find ways that empower
the growing population of older Americans to use their abilities, their experience
and their energy." "Respectability in America: Promising Practices in Civic
Engagement Among Adults 55+", prepared by the NCOA in collaboration with Holmes
Research and Consulting and supported by the Atlantic Philanthropies, outlines
a framework of "best practices" for engaging older citizens. Big & small has
utilized the report's recommendations in developing its Two Old Women initiative
as expressed by our collaborators:
"As
national leaders in the field of aging and as primary supporters for Referendum
58 (increase arts participation) and 60 (increase intergenerational strategies)
at the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, we believe that the Two Old Women
project promotes intergenerational and participatory arts at its best. We
believe, if fully supported, this initiative will be a model program and will
find its way into the national discourse, helping to shift the paradigm on
aging."
Dr. William
Thomas, AARP Scholar, Big & small Advisory Board
Susan Perlstein, National Center for Creative Aging
Janice Blanchard, Director of Aging in Community Network, Big & small Board
of Directors
Today, there is a national spotlight
on aging. Almost 40% of all workers in the United States are more involved
with caring for a parent than a child. On Cape Cod, 23% of our residents are
over age sixty-five and are vested in the issues of age and aging. As baby
boomers enter their later years, this percentage will increase. The Cape is
an ideal community for piloting this new model around ageism and aging.
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