The Gifts of Age and Experience. They possess the very analytic tools that younger people have yet to master. They bring a deep reservoir of experience and wisdom, knowledge and insight. They can make creative connections, they can see how overarching systems influence individual events and phenomena; they are unusually adept at reconciling contradictions, resolving conflicts and bringing together a variety of resources to solve problems. In brief, older people can be extraordinary innovators.
Drawing on the energy and drive of young adults. Young adults bring a passion for justice and social change and an ability to work “24-7” for a cause they can embrace. They posses what older people may have lost: the ability directly relate to the culture of youth. They also bring considerable technological skills. “Just give us our first opportunity to join the workforce,” they ask.
Synergy. Together, older adults and young adults bring with them the potential to unleash an untapped source of innovation: two undervalued and underutilized sets of human resources combining forces to bring out the best in each other and form a highly productive and cost–effective team. Each generation can guide the other—younger folks instructing their elders in the ways of new technology and older folks offering their perspective and wisdom. This synergy is a form of “reciprocal mentoring.”
The result: a “win-win-win.” While there are major hurdles in putting this first cohort of aging boomers to work (e.g., persistent ageism and nagging health issues, among others) it’s a win for them, by giving them new opportunities for living a healthy and productive life well into the traditional retirement years. It’s a win for young adults, especially in launching them into the world of work and giving them the opportunity to work older folks. And, most important of all, it’s a potentially transformational win for low-income students themselves and their families.
Older persons represent a vast and underutilized set of resources just waiting to be tapped. The problem is: They want to work part-time, flex-time, their own time within a 15-20 mile radius from home, for there to be meaning and purpose and in some cases, financial remuneration. Mentoring turns these necessities into a virtue
Mid-to late-career mentors bring with them a vast and underutilized set of resources just waiting to be tapped. They also bring “the experience advantage”:
Drawing on the energy and drive of young adults. Young adults bring a passion for justice and social change and an ability to work “24-7” for a cause they can embrace. They posses what older people may have lost: the ability directly relate to the culture of youth. They also bring considerable technological skills. “Just give us our first opportunity to join the workforce,” they ask.
Synergy. Together, older adults and young adults bring with them the potential to unleash an untapped source of innovation: two undervalued and underutilized sets of human resources combining forces to bring out the best in each other and form a highly productive and cost–effective team. Each generation can guide the other—younger folks instructing their elders in the ways of new technology and older folks offering their perspective and wisdom. This synergy is a form of “reciprocal mentoring.”
The result: a “win-win-win.” While there are major hurdles in putting this first cohort of aging boomers to work (e.g., persistent ageism and nagging health issues, among others) it’s a win for them, by giving them new opportunities for living a healthy and productive life well into the traditional retirement years. It’s a win for young adults, especially in launching them into the world of work and giving them the opportunity to work older folks. And, most important of all, it’s a potentially transformational win for low-income students themselves and their families.
Older persons represent a vast and underutilized set of resources just waiting to be tapped. The problem is: They want to work part-time, flex-time, their own time within a 15-20 mile radius from home, for there to be meaning and purpose and in some cases, financial remuneration. Mentoring turns these necessities into a virtue
Mid-to late-career mentors bring with them a vast and underutilized set of resources just waiting to be tapped. They also bring “the experience advantage”:
- Not only can they model the importance of “soft skills” such as empathy and compassion; they can also offer concrete interpersonal strategies such as teamwork and conflict resolution.
- They are uniquely positioned in the art of mentoring, such as holding their mentees to high expectations and realistic standards while at the same time instilling in them the confidence they need to reach them.
- They also bring with the a long-term commitment in seeing their mentees through high school and into college and beyond.