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photo credit Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes

Now a network of 117 higher education institutions spread across the country, Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) offer college-level courses designed to appeal to the interests and experience of older adults. OLLI programs are adapted to the needs and desires of the communities they serve, but they benefit from OLLI’s National Resource Center, which provides a network for sharing innovations in lifelong learning and also sponsors an annual conference. The institutions comprising OLLI range from top research universities to community colleges, and all provide unique programs.

Duke University’s is one of the most successful Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes in the country. The program began as the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement, which was founded in 1977 as a joint venture between Duke Continuing Education and the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. Duke became one of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes in 2004.

photo credit Project SHINE

“When I first came to America, I only knew a couple letters.  I couldn't communicate with anybody.  And I learned about this program and I started (to learn English).  I have been here for three years and now I have built a basic vocabulary that I can carry my daily life.  It basically helped me to live in America." -Project SHINE participant

In the early 1980s, Nancy Henkin, founder and director of the Intergenerational Center at Temple University, was shocked by the news that loneliness and social isolation led an elderly Asian woman to commit suicide, at a time when it was commonly assumed that older immigrants were part of tight-knit and supportive communities. Henkin realized that older immigrants often struggle with language barriers, changes in customs, and differences in social roles more than their younger counterparts, and began working to establish a program that could support them.  Project SHINE was launched in 1985, to reach out and provide aging immigrants with language and cultural resources to help them adapt in their new community. 

The age 65+ population is expected to double by 2030.  How are local communities preparing for this change?  This fall, a new n4a-led, MetLife Foundation-funded survey will look closely at the progress underway in every aspect of community life--including land use and zoning, housing, transportation, social services and civic engagement.

With its partners, the International City/County Management Association, Partners for Livable Communities, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, and the American Planning Association, n4a will poll 10,000 cities and counties across the nation, and look at advances made since the last “Maturing of America” survey was conducted in 2005.   The earlier study found that while initial steps were being taken, much more needs to be done.  n4a will issue a report on this year’s follow-up survey in May, 2011.  Stay tuned!

 

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A national program that provides a searchable, web-based directory of services, information, and resources for communities across the country.

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An organization that gives low-income families the tools to improve their lives by bringing them access to technology.

Bridge Builders Award

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, for building a greener America by collaborating with numerous national partners on initiatives that make the company a leader in environmentally friendly programs and fuel-efficient vehicles, including a partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

Bridge Builders Award

Former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening and Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman for their collaboration to create a resource, the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, that advises and guides governors and other state leaders on addressing issues of growth and development in their states.

Bridge Builders Award

Enterprise Community Partners and its Green Communities partners for collaborating with more than 25 developers, investors, builders and residents to create Green Communities, the first national green building program developed for affordable housing. Enterprise has made a commitment of $555 million to build more than 8,500 homes for low-income people and to bring environmentally sustainable development to the mainstream of the affordable housing industry.

How can America’s cities and counties prepare to meet the needs of an aging baby boomer population? A Blueprint for Action: Developing a Livable Community for All Ages. Click here to download the report.

Only 46 percent of American communities have begun planning to address the needs of the exploding population of aging Baby Boomers. The Baby Boom generation - born between 1948 and 1964—is rapidly approaching retirement age. When this trend hits its peak in 2030, the number of people over age 65 in the United States will soar to 71.5 million—twice their number in the year 2000—or one in every five Americans.

What ARE communities doing to prepare for this?

This report is  a framework for a general understanding of Asian American concerns and opportunities to include them in broader civic dialogue. It is designed for local leaders and civic groups on how they can build their infrastructure and leadership around this issue. Click here to download report.

Bridge Builders Award

Allan Kullen, President, People of America Foundation, & Founder, Americans All, Bob Knight, Former Mayor, Wichita, Kansas and the Dedicated Employees of Todd Allan Printing for working toward racial reconciliation around the nation by designing, advocating and supporting programs that promote understanding of the ties that connect us, regardless of diverse backgrounds.