Acting on a vision of dignity
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan envisions communities of dignity—desirable places for all persons to age and live healthy, empowered and productive lives where whatever one has to contribute makes a difference. We aim to have the contributions of older adults recognized, respected and heralded by the philanthropic, nonprofit, government and business sectors alike.
Older adults have an essential role in the economic and social transformation that is now underway in Michigan, yet for this to happen, older adults need to feel empowered and connected to those places where their contributions can make a difference. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan’s Community Experience Partnership (CEP) assessment showed great interest and enthusiasm for community engagement among older adults across the region. It also showed that there is no “silver bullet” approach to mobilize and engage older adults to address community solutions. Instead, a series of approaches are required. This led the foundation’s staff, trustees, volunteers and partners to employ the following five strategies:
- Regional strategy: Working with other funders and community partners by establishing partnerships, coordinating efforts and building support among the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, the regional strategy leverages and promotes older adult initiatives and awareness of multigenerational opportunities and challenges in the region in areas such as education, workforce, transportation and health care.
- Urban strategy: Focusing on an area of Detroit with the highest older adult population and leveraging a partnership with the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the urban strategy is demonstrating how to tap the extraordinary resources of older adults to create more livable neighborhoods in a diverse urban setting.
- Economic strategy: Building upon the community foundation’s $100 million New Economy Initiative, opportunities are being identified and encouraged to engage older adults in ways that will accelerate the transition of metro Detroit to a more sustainable innovation-based economy, through older adult community engagement, social purpose work, entrepreneurialism and workforce participation.
- Internal strategy: Prioritizing aging within the community foundation, the internal strategy includes review and assessment of age-related grant making to inform the community foundation’s program planning and communications, and ultimately building the community foundation’s assets for age-related investments.
- Communications and networking strategy: Building a critical mass of leadership on aging issues to effect change, the communication and networking strategy raises awareness and convenes local foundations, community leaders, public officials, and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to transform the way the community views aging and older adult civic and community engagement.
Road to change
In order to create communities of dignity throughout the region, implementation of these strategies has taken several forms that build upon one another to leverage opportunities for maximum impact in the community. Here are a few examples:
The Senior Alliance Initiative involves senior residents in Detroit’s near-eastside to develop older adult social programs and to work with local agencies to make their community more senior-friendly. The Alliance mobilizes older adult residents to join with local businesses, community organizations and government leaders to improve access to healthy food, sponsor community building programs, expand transportation options and reduce crime.
The Livable Communities Series is providing a unique opportunity for participants to work with nationally recognized experts on how to create livable communities through social innovation, community development and urban design. This year-long series of events is engaging community leaders and public officials in thoughtful educational seminars and neighborhood-specific workshops.
The community foundation, in partnership with Grantmakers in Aging and the Council of Michigan Foundation’s EngAGEment Initiative, is helping organize a state-wide conference: The Mature Workforce: Philanthropies Response to an Emerging Economic Crisis. This event targets the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including philanthropy, and will focus on Michigan’s aging workforce. Featuring speakers from the Conference Board, participants will discuss global, national and statewide labor market trends, the needs and aspirations of older adults, and the ways philanthropy might encourage the corporate and nonprofit sector to better tap the talents of older adults.
