Discrimination is something which sadly permeates many aspects of our society where we find ways of ‘othering’ those who are different to ourselves. Though it occurs along many different lines, it tends to manifest in very similar ways; people are marginalised, disrespected and are not offered the same opportunities as others. Ageism is a particularly puzzling form of discrimination, standing out as it is directed towards a state of being that every one of us – all being well – will eventually experience.

Knowing that ageism is an issue we face here in the UK, it is helpful to look beyond our borders now and then to build a picture of how the problem manifests, and is tackled, in other countries. We were interested to read about the work the Age Nigeria Foundation are doing to raise awareness around ageism and build intergenerational solidarity within the country, such as through their new initiative  ‘HUGGING’ (Help Unite Great Generations in Nigeria) (for which we particularly applaud the name!).

At Outside the Box, we are currently working on a variety of projects which tackle ageism in Scotland and across the UK by recognising the rights of older people to continue to do the things that they enjoy and celebrating the contributions they have to make to their communities.

 

• We are currently in the midst of our third year’s run of our We’re Here Too events. These have taken place across Scotland in 2014, 2014 and again this year bringing together people who want to see more opportunities for all older people to be able to participate in the issues that interest them. We have been delighted with the positive reaction to these events (highlights being demonstrations of belly dancing the wonderful Diane Bailey Davis has been bringing in to care homes). Read more about this project and download the 2014/15 reports.

 

• Discussions around mental health often do not involve older people, even though people are more likely to experience mental health problems as they get older. Our new project creates the space for these conversations to take place – partly through our ‘Happiness Habits’ cafes which are currently taking place across Scotland and have thus far been hugely successful. Read about our first Happiness Habits Café. Read more about our wider project to raise awareness about older people’s mental health and wellbeing.

 

• Older people have a breadth of life experience behind them and should be seen as an asset rather than a drain on communities. We developed the Wisdom in Practice project to encourage and support the development of services led by older people. As part of this project, we developed a series of Hints and Tips which gives accessible and wide-arranging advice on topics such as digital inclusion for older people and how to get started setting up a group.

 

• Following on from our Wisdom in Practise work, we are currently at the beginning of our new Rural Wisdom project which will create opportunities for older people in rural areas across the UK to be part of shaping their communities so that they work better for people of all ages. Find out more about our Rural Wisdom project.