Positive Aging Conference coming to a location near you
Print this pagePosted on 13 October 2008 by Mark
Permanent URL of this article: http://retirementrevised.com/career/positive-aging-conference-coming-to-a-location-near-you
A coalition of groups including AARP, Elderhostel, and the Vital Aging Network sponsored the First Positive Aging Conference in December 2007. I attended the event, and it was an extraordinary gathering of more than 400 people who came together to learn, talk and network about purpose, meaning and vitality in the second half of life. That group was made up mainly of professionals devoted to the fields of aging, learning and health. But the second Positive Aging Conference will be held next month, and it’s been thrown open to the public. What’s more, the event is going national and virtual via webcast, making the event easily accessible to people all over the country without leaving their home towns.
Conference organizers explain:
On November 12, 2008, the Center for Spirituality & Healing will host the 2008 conference at the University of Minnesota. This day-long conference will explore purpose, meaning and vitality in the second half of life. It will feature experts and thought leaders including Richard Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute?; Richard Leider, author of Something to Live For and founder of The Purpose Project; Mary Jo Kreitzer, Director, Center for Spirituality & Healing; Harry R. Moody, Director, Academic Affairs for AARP; Dan Buettner, explorer, educator and author of The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who Live the Longest; and Joanne Disch, Director of the Densford Center for Nursing Leadership.
The 2008 Conference will be webcast throughout the country to spark conversations in local communities about positive aging. Participants will be invited to respond to speakers’ remarks and discuss strategies to promote this concept within their respective regions. Participants will also receive a Toolkit for Positive Aging, filled with resources and ways to get or remain engaged.
More information and contact information on the conference is available at the website.
For a taste of this event, see my video interview with Bolles and Leider from last summer:
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October 14th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Coming as it does, in the wake of a financial crisis of confidence and soon after the election, this conference is a much needed redirection of our energies back to the challenges, opportunities and surprising joys of living fully throughout the lifespan. As regional hosts, we are excited to be contributing to the positive aging movement and a new conversation about growing older.