"It is heartening to know that when young people seek sage advice these days, many are turning to the ElderWisdomCircle™. I continue to be impressed by the candor and insight of these Elders." Walter Cronkite
Jenny Rozbruch honored her grandmother, Freida, by designing the GreyMatters app. Doug Meckelson's grannie inspired the former financial services exec to found The Elder Wisdom Circle.
Since 2001, the online Elder Wisdom Circle has tapped into volunteers aged 60 to 100+ for advice to younger folks submitting questions through its website, providing an inter-generational pairing that's rare & precious in today's - hopefully not tomorrow's - world.
Here's hoping this posting bumps up the number of youngers accessing this online network of "Elders" ready to offer insights drawn from a long arc of life experience!
Each applicant goes through a screening process. Once through, they can scan submissions to see if any reach out & grab them.
As one volunteer points out, they range from "how to deal with the death of a
loved one to how to start a worm farm from home. Love & relationships? Family, child-raising, career balancing? Life's purpose & professional goals? Self-improvement v. community building? Elders offer the kind of wise words & caring encouragement Doug Meckelson's grannie offered him - all at no charge, no kidding.
The Elder Wisdom Circle has a 3-pronged mission:
- Provide opportunities for anyone over 60 to use their life experiences to help others;
- Offer thoughtful & helpful advice to youngers seeking their insights;
- Elevate the value & worth of the young-old, old, old-old & the larger "senior" community.
"Need advice? Not sure where to turn? This is the place where people in their teens, 20s, 30s, and beyond connect with Cyber-Grandparents for confidential, personal, and compassionate guidance." Cyber-Grandparents - how cool is that!
Doug Meckelson founded The Elder Wisdom Circle on the premise that elders - like his grandmother - were as under-utilized as too many were (unlike his grannie!) under-appreciated.
While many Elders are computer-savvy, many are not. Facilitators meet with groups of these semi- or fully-computer illiterates in nursing homes & elder care centers, sharing letters & taking notes on comments, which are then transcribed to computer, back to the seeker.
No surprise that The Elder Wisdom Circle is located in the S.F. Bay area, with 600+ Elders (60-105) scattered across North America. As of 12/31/15, they're responded to 300,000+ advice requests. Whew!
I love win-win scenarios & this is winning-est as they get! Youngers can tap into the wisdom of the ages & the Elders... Well, as one Elder Wisdom Circle volunteer puts it, "I have tried many volunteer
activities, but this is the only one that has sunk an anchor deep into
my soul... This activity keeps me engaged - even when I'm in my pajamas.”
And that's the way it is!
"Uncle Walter" 1916 ~ 2009
Credits:
1) elderwisdomcircle.org
2) npr.org
3) usetechnology.org
4) pbs.org
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