Encore Boston Network inspires and assists people over 50 to make a difference through work, service and social action. As a diverse community, we bring together a variety of interests and expertise to end ageism and advance opportunities. With improved health, strength of purpose and longer lives, people over 50 will, with our help, continue to contribute real value to the economy, our communities and our society.
What are you most excited about regarding your organization’s programing this year? How will it shape your community or organization or both?
Three things are exciting about the past year. First, our members sent a clear and powerful message about the importance of work as a priority, to which we were able to quickly respond. Through numerous partnerships, we developed, promoted and delivered programs and resources that reached thousands of people over 50. Our focus on reinvention, self-employment and entrepreneurship, in addition to employment, is especially exciting.
Second, the normalization of Zoom as a meeting platform, combined with the growing number of partnerships we are creating to develop and promote content, enabled us to connect with many more people over a wider geographic range than would otherwise have been possible. As a result, our impact is much greater without a corresponding increase in costs.
Third, a new approach to social action seems to be gaining traction. Our members are responding to programs that feature an expert, often a researcher, talking about the nature and extent of a social issue, followed by representatives of an organization or initiative that is directly responding to that issue in our community. In this way, specific local needs are placed into a larger context so participants can better understand their potential to make a difference.
What is one special aspect, element, or hidden ‘talent’ that you want our members to know about your organization?
As a network organization, our effectiveness is greatest when we combine our strengths with the strengths of other organizations and community partners to generate results that would not otherwise be possible. The most gratifying thing about this approach, beyond our capacity to generate much greater impact, is how much people have enjoyed the collaboration.
For more information on Encore Boston Network visit: https://encorebostonnetwork.org.