How arts and pop culture can help us tell a better story about aging

At the Ashoka Changemaker Summit, social entrepreneurs explore how everyone, regardless of age, can meaningfully contribute

For the first time in history, there are more people above age 65 than there are below age five. Human life expectancy has almost doubled over one century. And this shift impacts every aspect of our lives and society. How can we contribute to positive change as we age? How do we understand the difference between adding years to life, and adding life to years? And how can arts and culture help redefine what aging means in our society? 

In places like the United States, aging is often portrayed as a tragic story about decline, loss, and separation. At the Ashoka Changemaker Summit, we spoke with two social entrepreneurs who are using the power of arts and culture to change the narrative. Marc Freedman is President and CEO of Encore.org, an NGO focused on bringing the generations together for mutual benefit. Anne Basting is an artist, scholar, educator and founder of TimeSlips, an organization that creates more opportunities for creative expression among elders and communities.

Full article on Ashoka Medium.