Join the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging virtually on April 20th for one of the most important conversations you are likely to have this year!
We all believe our states should be great places to grow up, work, and grow old – places with healthy economies and vibrant communities that work for everyone. Most of us are using our creativity and confidence to make systemic changes within our spheres of influence to support this vision. Yet, we have been challenged to make broad progress in redesigning our systems of transportation, housing, care and community development. We believe ageism plays a big part in the reason why.
Ageism is not only bad for our personal and collective health, it also results in less support for the systemic changes needed to support us all as we age. In order to build healthier communities and economies, it’s time for us to tackle the issue of ageism head-on, and we have to start this work with ourselves and our own organizations and industries.
“People say things like, “If I get like that, just take me out behind the barn and shoot me”…But behind the words is an assumption that we can’t write off. Like the grim jokes, it expresses a judgment over which lives are worth living. Like other kinds of prejudice, ageism doesn’t have to be something we are aware of to work on us. It gets perpetuated by the choices we make even if we think it’s not a factor.”
Reporter Greg Kesich, January 31, 2021, Portland Press Herald
We all form subconscious negative ideas about people based on age. Thankfully, research has shown just being aware of our subconscious biases makes us less likely to act on them and more likely to treat people fairly, including ourselves, especially when coupled with examples of the impact of bias.
In the morning session, we will explore what age-related bias is, how it impacts us, how we can talk about it, and what we can do to counteract it. In the afternoon, we’ll break into smaller groups to talk about how age-bias plays out in healthcare settings, workplaces, communities, and even our conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. In these small groups, we’ll share tips and tools that people can use to address age bias wherever they encounter it. To be clear, we don’t have all the answers! In these conversations, we’ll be learning and building a plan of action together!
We hope you can join us for the whole day, but we’ve created the morning and afternoon sessions to stand alone. You’ll still get a lot out of the conversation if you can only come to one.
Support this important regional learning opportunity and gain access to a broad array of thought leaders in the field of health care, higher education, technology, and research.
Expected Participants: 250+ business, tech, municipal, policy, advocacy, higher education, housing and community leaders from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
The Summit will have a low-cost registration of $40 per participant, which only covers the cost of the event. This allows older adults and students to attend. It is critically important to keep fees low as so many people will have access to the event. We will also provide scholarships as needed.
We are relying on sponsors and exhibitors to underwrite the cost of the event to make it accessible to all. Below is a list of opportunities.
