GREAT ADAPTATIONS

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Today I’m sending you over to my blog on the Examiner site, where I posted today about the desire for challenge and meaning in the Boomer demographic. My Examiner blog is called Web 55.0 Examiner.

Here, I’m posting an inspiring piece by John Gomperts, who wrote the foreword to the study called “Great Expectations.” His perspective on Boomers reaching for meaning and purpose is right along the lines of what I’m up to on this blog. We are seeing a convergence now between the accessibility of online communication and the health and healing of our cultures as well as our tremendous need for innovation in these times. We are reinventing how to take care of ourselves and each other, and the Internet is playing a huge role.

Here’s the foreword:

“The aging of America is likely to be the biggest demographic story of our times. Though the statistics about the changes in the make-up of the American population have become familiar, they are nonetheless breathtaking. The largest generation ever to pass through its 40s and 50s is now moving into its 60s. In five years, 20 percent of the population will be over 60. This will bring profound changes to schools and universities, to health care and housing, to the workplace and civil society, to virtually every institution in our lives.

In 2005, the MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures “New Face of Work” Survey found that boomers have a strong desire to launch a new chapter in their working lives that involves significant social contribution. People over 50, especially adults between 50 and 55, showed a surprisingly high level of interest in making shifts from their intense midlife careers to new pursuits that improve lives in their communities.

The boomer generation is known for wanting choice. And every study to date has found that boomers are not looking for busy work. They are looking for meaning and purpose. They are looking for interesting and challenging opportunities to make an impact on big societal problems, from education to the environment, hunger to homelessness to health care. As the President of Civic Ventures, the CEO of Experience Corps, and a VolunteerMatch Board Member, I am particularly encouraged by the findings in “Great Expectations: Boomers and the Future of Volunteering.” This study underscores the opportunity for nonprofits to engage the time and talent of this exceptional generation and the promise of the Internet as a tool to recruit them.

With knowledge and investment we can transform the aging of the baby boom generation from a potential crisis into an historic opportunity. There are millions of talented, experienced Americans ready to roll up their sleeves. All they need now is a great opportunity.”

See you soon,

Suzanna Stinnett