Holly Klump, Assistant Librarian at the Nashua, NH, Public Library, put together a nifty event last week. Most of the 42 attendees were from RISE (Rivier Institute of Senior Education), an educational program run by a local university, as was the facilitator who led a discussion after the group watched my TED talk. Holly loved the audience reaction: “laughter/stunned silence/murmurs of agreement, etc.” Next the group watched a couple of my short Yo Is this Ageist? video clips. By the time I showed up—virtually—45 minutes into the program, the group had prepared some tough questions for me. Heidi had also made sure the library and university had copies of my book.
“We heard lots of great feedback about the program,” Holly reported back, “and hopefully it will create more discussion and action. You certainly gave me lots to think about as well, especially how to address everyday ageism that I hear all around me. I also really appreciate and respect that you don’t shy away from talking about the other ‘isms.’”
Thinking of putting together an event about ageism that’s free and open to the public? I work hard to make my ideas available via my This Chair Rocks blog (which is searchable by topic), my Yo, Is This Ageist? blog, videos, and extensive interviews—all available via my website. You can find hundreds more free resources of all types in the Old School Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse.
If you do your part—gather a decent-sized audience and ask them to engage in advance with some of these ideas—I’ll do mine: show up for a virtual Q&A. I’ll also ask for an honorarium payable to Old School, which is a nonprofit, and if you can’t manage one, I’ll show up for free.
Was there and it was great! Wish it could have gone on longer. Great learning experience for everyone involved.
Dear Ashton! I try to remember to catch Manoush Zomorodi’s Ted Radio Hour, it plays on KUAC in my home of Fairbanks, Alaska, on Tuesday evenings. This week was awesome, and I have to say, especially your segment. I already ordered your book! I am 73, and I completed a Master of Fine Arts in photography this last spring at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. And I honestly have to say I’m just getting started! I “retired” in 2013 from that same university, where I’d been working for a little over 20 years in public information/communications/public relations. The only interruption was 2001-2003 when I left to go in the Peace Corps for two years. I wasn’t sure I’d come back to Fairbanks after that but I love it here, my people are here (and I mean the family I choose, not the family I was born into), and it was still the best place for me, so that’s what I did. When I finally retired I had no intentions of quitting work. But I did want to get off my ass and out of an office. So I worked for 4+ years as a tour guide for Northern Alaska Tour Company driving a coach or a van full of visitors up the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Ocean. AMAZING!! Now I’m back working in an office three days a week, still doing PR work, but in the most fun, exciting and satisfying job of my whole career, at the Geophysical Institute at UAF. I’m not rich by any means, but I’m healthy and physically active, and I plan to keep going — making art, working to help get the word out about the amazing science that goes on at the GI, until I simply can’t any more. I really look forward to reading your book because I find myself every now and then worrying that I’m too old to do this, and I definitely notice it when somebody’s giving me the ageist evil eye. But I AM in your tribe, girl! So glad I tuned in to Manoush tonight!