“What if we looked at our ageing population not as a problem but as an army of experienced social problem solvers”

That quotable quote is from my guest, author Marci Alboher. She’s a former career columnist at the New York Times and current vice president at Encore.org. That’s an American non-profit mobilising that midlife problem solvers army and taking it global. I reached her at her home in New York City.

Hear what when:

• Encore.org’s many programmes to tap talent of people 50+ for social good
• Gen to Gen campaign to integrate segregated generations
• How Encore.org tells the bigger story of healthy, longer lives and need for lifelong learning
• She’s heartened that more cultural conversations are being had about need to dismantle ageism
  

  “One of the best ways we’re going to combat ageism is get the generations to partner together on ways to create a world that allows all of us to thrive.”

• The need for higher education institutions to recruit across the life course to ensure youngers and olders stay relevant, connected, and have impact
• Encore.org’s support for “scrappy innovators” testing new models for housing and community ideas to foster intergenerational contact
• Encore Fellowships match talents of +50s to paid roles with high social impact; soon coming to UK
  

  “It’s almost as if it’s an internship for older people, a chance to get exposed to a new kind of organisation, yet use skills that have been built up over decades of work experience.”

• My tale of woe when I offered my skills to charities and NGOs
• Encore.org’s future success looks like?
• The need for all to accept the reality of ageing, the positives and negatives
• The aspect of ageism that most upsets her
• Impact of her work on her own expectations of ageing
• How she had to acquire new skills to deliver her new LinkedIn Learning course on encore careers
  

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Links

• Encore.org
• Encore Fellowships
• Marci’s The Encore Career Handbook
• Marci’s free LinkedIn Learning encore careers course
• Marci on Twitter

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