Ageism And... Activism: How Each And Every One Of Us Can Make A Positive Difference

Activism is at the heart of the anti-ageism movement, and it's where Ageism Is Never In Style®'s roots lie. It's an award-winning campaign, and our founder Jacynth was recently honoured to have been awarded 'Anti-Ageist Activist' of the year at the inaugural Advantages Of Age Awards 2023.  But what do we mean by activism? It's a controversial word and one that not everyone responds well to... For some it carries connotations of hostility and aggression, and in some cases it has been co-opted by movements and individuals who might lean towards more extremist methods. But activism is simply describing the action of campaigning to bring about social change.  So essentially for us here at Ageism Is Never In Style®, it means taking conscious steps against ageism. And activism can come in all shapes and sizes; it can involve joining communities or campaigns, to participating in physical rallies and protests. Or it could be sharing your story, wearing a badge, or just sparking a conversation with loved ones. Or maybe it’s even just having a conversation with ourselves to challenge our own internalised biases…. In this episode, Jacynth dives into the world of anti-ageism activism and advocacy with special guest and fellow activist and internationally recognised expert on ageism, Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism; a co-founder of the Old School Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse - a platform that curates, creates, commissions and disseminates free resources to educate people about ageism and how to end it - and one of the World Health Organisation’s Healthy Aging 50: fifty leaders transforming the world to be a better place to grow older. Together they discuss what it means to be an activist and how each of us has it within us to make a difference, even on the smallest scale; as well as ageism’s position alongside other social justice movements; how we can reconcile different attitudes and theories around ageing (for example – should age be irrelevant? Is 'ageless' a good term?); and how we can encourage others to join the ageism movement. Along with much more...

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