Year started: 2018

Changing the Narrative is a campaign to change the way that people think, talk and act about aging and ageism. Our goal? Ending Ageism Together. We believe that it takes many people of all ages to end ageism, and that co-generated solutions will help us get there. Our core strategies include: —Narrative change: We provide training and technical assistance on reframing aging, based on the research conducted by The FrameWorks Institute. We also engage in storytelling, through our own online platforms, as well as earned and social media, to share the benefits of older people and intergenerational teams. —Community education and organizing: We facilitate workshops on ending ageism, and sponsor campaigns to educate and engage people in the effort to combat ageism, including for example, an anti-ageist birthday card campaign, and a poetry contest to enlist people of all ages to write poems that celebrate aging. Knowing the extent of workplace age discrimination, we also educate employers about the business case for older workers and intergenerational teams, and partner with the Age Friendly Institute to certify employers as "age-friendly." —Intergenerational education and conversations: We have created a toolkit that allows anyone, anywhere to host and facilitate intergenerational conversations about ageism —Policy research and advocacy: We conduct and compile research, and form coalitions to advocate for stronger policies and programs to end ageism. For example, we are currently engaged in advocacy to strengthen age discrimination laws and to ensure that post-pandemic "rebuilding" funding is used to reskill, upskill, and nextskill workers of all ages.

Objectives

Our overarching goal is to end ageism. Our supporting objectives include: —Increasing understanding of ageism, and ageism as a systemic issue, not simply a result of individual bad actors —Mobilizing individuals to take collective action —Creating a climate and the public will for policy change Ultimately, we believe that all of this will result in programs and policies that allow people of all ages to thrive.

Scope

Changing the Narrative believes that all people talk, think and act about aging and ageism, whether consciously or not. Therefore, in addition to targeting media, program developers and implementers, and policymakers, we engage in ongoing community education and organizing to reach the general public so that we can build the public will to end ageism.