Leveraging the experience of older adults for a sustainable future

A new world may yet emerge from this challenging time in human history. What role will older adults play in the transformation?

That question drives Sympara's initiative Aging for the Common Good. As we repurpose religious properties for social impact, the congregations we engage are made up primarily of older people. They are the vanguard of a revolution to reimagine not just sacred space but spiritual community. So we're curious about the gifts that older people might share with neighbors as we travel together toward a new world.

At the heart of the initiative are online writing groups for older adults who share reflections essential to the well-being of individuals and society. Through a six-week facilitated process, each group explores experiences of loss, discovery and renewal and considers the role of elders in navigating change. Sympara partner SeniorCorrespondent.com publishes select essays and poetry.

The next writing group, which begins January 30, 2024, focuses on our experiences of place. We are formed by places. Our childhood homes, neighborhoods where we played, roads we knew by heart, the first city where we lived on our own, places that we visited across our lifetimes, places of crisis and joy: These experiences mark us. They also shape how we enter and perceive other places as we age. In this six-week session we'll get into our stories of place — excavate formative locations, map the physical, mental, and spiritual routes we've taken from one place to another, and make meaning of the places we now inhabit. With thanks to Dr. Seuss, our theme is "Oh, the Places We'll Go!"

To be notified of upcoming writing groups, send an email to writing@sympara.org.

In addition to writing groups, future activities of Aging for the Common Good will include research into the unique leadership task of elders, mapping the assets of older adults through participant-driven research with congregations, senior living communities and civic groups, and intergenerational experiments for social impact.

If your community or organization wants to join Aging for the Common Good, contact Sympara cofounder and CEO Daniel Pryfogle at daniel@sympara.org.