Philly's "Coming of Age" Profiles & Project
The February, 2007, issue of the Newsletter (No. 16) distributed by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging, Nora Dowd Eisenhower, contains a brief article about the "The Coming of Age" initiative.
This multi-media educational venture has promoted the accomplishment of seniors (50+) in the greater Philadelphia area for their civic engagement, learning, and community leadership.
[The initiative] is now an award winning project. WHYY TV-12 of Philadelphia produced a series of video profiles for the Coming of Age program that feature Pennsylvanians over 50 who have taken a creative approach to the second half of life.Coming of Age is a joint partnership among the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning, WHYY Wider Horizons, AARP Pennsylvania, and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, with financial support by those organizations, Verizon, and many individuals.
The videos were honored with the Gold Award at the 15th Annual National Mature Media Awards, the nation’s largest award program recognizing the best advertising, marketing and educational materials for older adults. In addition, the Coming of Age video profiles were nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy.
To appreciate in what ways the prior media "initiative" has become a full-service, regional "project", visit the Coming of Age website, and see what now is offered. It is now a complete resource center for seniors in southeastern Pennsylvania, with a mission statement (PDF).
The Coming of Age website posts seniors' stories, suggests work opportunities, promotes learning sessions, provides working tools, and even responds to individual's questions submitted by email.
It also indexes web links relevant to concerns of seniors:
On that site, you could subscribe to its emailed announcements regarding events scheduled or profiles published.
This is a resource that can benefit more than just the residents of eastern Pennsylvania. Check it out.
Update: 01/28/08:
The successful "Coming of Age" model will be duplicated and exported into other regions of this country. See: PA EE&F Law Blog posting "Coming of Age" in PA to be Replicated (01/28/08).
