Civic Engagement for All Initiative

Elder speaking up at Atlanta Forum As America grows older and more diverse, people ages 50+ from all cultural backgrounds represent a vast resource for communities. Many are seeking opportunities to contribute to their families and neighborhoods, remain connected to others, and leave a legacy for future generations. Although human service practitioners and researchers are beginning to recognize the benefits of connection and contribution, both for individuals 50+ and for the larger community, scant attention is paid to the characteristics of civic engagement among foreign-born elders. In fact, it is suggested that immigrant elders are minimally engaged in their communities. Research conducted on immigrant civic participation has focused primarily on citizenship efforts, not the critical roles that older adults play or could play in their communities.

Elders teaching each other The engagement of immigrant elders in civic activities is particularly important for both the elders themselves and the communities in which they live. Research suggests that involvement in productive activity and close social ties are linked to successful aging (Rowe & Kahn, 1998). For many immigrant elders, however, a major discrepancy exists between the traditional roles they played in their homelands and those that are available in the United States. Older immigrants are too often viewed only as clients to be served rather than as leaders who can guide their communities and transmit cultural values and traditions. Though many express the desire to fulfill their responsibilities as contributing community members, the opportunities to do so within formal organizations are limited.

The Goals of this initiative are:

To Increase our understanding of community engagement activities of immigrants and refugees over the age of 50 through community based research.
To document promising practices and create materials to help organizations mobilize elderly immigrants and refugees and develop compelling community engagement opportunities for elders.
To create culturally relevant and meaningful civic roles for immigrant and refugee elders through partnerships with organizations across the country.

With the generous support from Metlife Foundation, this initiative has launched in three phases.

Phase I: Knowledge Building
In order to better understand older immigrants' and refugees' contributions to their families and communities, we organized interviews and focus groups to gain insights directly from elders themselves. Focus groups were organized in three locations, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Atlanta, Georgia, and Orange County, California. A total of 99 elders aged 50+ represented six ethnolinguistic groups. Additional in-depth interviews were conducted with elders and key community informants. Click here to see the findings in our report, Community Treasures: Recognizing the Contributions of Older Immigrants and Refugees.
Phase II: Pilot Projects and Promising Practices
To further investigate the ways that elder immigrants and refugees engage in their communities, three pilot projects where established across the nation to provide new insights and develop promising practices for organizations already serving immigrant and refugee elders as well as mainstream organizations looking to tap into a new resource. The three pilot projects took place in Philadelphia, PA, Atlanta, GA, and Fullerton, CA. Click here to see more information and a brief overview of these exciting pilot projects.
Phase III: Capacity Building, National Forums
Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning held three national forums in recognition of the recent publication "Community Treasures: Recognizing the Contributions of Older Immigrants and Refugees" in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Georgia and Fullerton, California. Participants convened to discuss the findings and implications of the new report by listening to keynote speakers, immigrant and refugee age 50+ and taking part in open discussions. The forums showcased the enormous contributions that older refugees and immigrants make within their communities and the agencies across the country that are successfully engaging people of all ages and cultures. Click here for more information.