title: GenPhilly: a strategy for improving the sustainability of aging in community initiatives.
abstract: GenPhilly is an innovative, replicable model that was developed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to inspire and engage emerging leaders from a variety of disciplines to promote and sustain an aging-in-community agenda. Administrative support is provided by the Area Agency on Aging, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, yet it was designed by its members to be peer-led. In this way, young professionals in their 20s and 30s can capitalize on popular culture to create unique professional development opportunities and get younger generations thinking about the type of city in which they themselves want to get older. The group has benefited the field of aging by building awareness of aging services in the wider community; facilitating cross-disciplinary learning and innovation around aging issues; stressing the competitive advantage for emerging leaders from all fields to know about aging issues; strengthening the aging network workforce; breaking down stereotypes about working with older adults; and introducing expertise from outside the aging network to benefit older adults. Encouraging the development of similar groups will not only benefit the field of aging, it will assist the next generation of leaders in many fields to plan better for their communities and for themselves.
authors.affiliation: a Planner for Policy and Program Development , Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, and Chair, GenPhilly , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology*; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011788:Quality of Life; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration; D012922:Social Change; D012939:Social Planning; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration