Back in the day, when people “retired,” they often had a “retirement party” on the Friday night of their last full day, got a gold watch and a pension. They were congratulated and wished well as they proceeded into their “Golden Years.” For some it was a joyous time – plans for more discretionary time, travel and time with grandkids fell into place. For others, not so much. Most of them woke up the Monday morning after the celebratory send-off to a stark reality. Their best friends were still at work, there was no water cooler to gather around to discuss the weekend’s sports events, and no work pals were available for lunch.
One woman expressed it this way about her retired spouse: “I married you for better or for worse, but not for lunch!”
When baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) began to turn 65 all about the same time, the business world had drastically changed from when their parents were moving into their next chapter. The word retirement had a new meaning. This generation was not at all sure they wanted to retire. Why? They had watched far too many people suffer through loneliness, boredom and lack of purpose. They had seen family and friends who left the workplace, sit down in their recliner, the TV remote became their closest friend, and they got sick and died within a couple of years. “Not for me!” they proclaimed. Then came COVID.
“So, what’s next?” they exclaimed.
“Plenty” was the answer for those fortunate enough to find an Explore Your Future workshop.
Forward-thinking researchers understood that this generation was huge in number, educated and trained, and interested in a wide variety of pursuits. They also knew that as a group they were game changers, with decades of experience, gifts, talents and passions that every community would love to engage and empower, but how?
In the early 2000s, the nationally acclaimed Coming of Age program was created in Philadelphia by the Intergenerational Center at Temple University, WHYY (a PBS affiliate), AARP Pennsylvania and United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. This evidence-based program was designed for people aged 50+ who were beginning to think about their next steps.
Things begin to change about age 50. Children grow up, jobs change and are often eliminated, companies move, spouses may have health issues … on and on. And 25-35% of every workforce is involved in some degree of caregiving a parent, spouse, child, grandchildren. It can all be overwhelming. In response to these trends, Coming of Age began offering Explore Your Future workshops.
What the researchers knew was how essential it is for everyone to have a plan for their future that will be personally satisfying and rewarding. It also must be supported by tools, support people and resources to help ensure that those in their next chapter can manage well through the coming years. They also knew that in the absence of a good plan, the future could be unnecessarily challenging and, in some circumstances, unbearable. How can one get there?
Now a program of PSS, Coming of Age offers Explore Your Future: it is designed to fill the void of What’s Next? and How Can I Navigate? Join the thousands of people who have found this impactful workshop to be “The best thing I ever did for myself!” — Sandra Mellinger, BSN, RN, EYF Facilitator since 2009