Songwriting grannies, robot sidekicks, savvy social media training, wild swimming, hip hop-picking and hen road shows; what does it mean to innovate around ageing well?

#AgeFutures is a new storytelling project that maps those transforming the lives of older people. We are exploring how our agency and sense of belonging; our participation in our local community and the causes that matter to us; and our purpose and fulfilment change with the decades. Who are the social innovators – and what are the impactful projects making a difference to our emotional wellbeing in later life?

While innovation in ageing often focuses on health-related or care issues, other critical things that can help us flourish in later life are often under-explored, and lagging behind in development and investment. So we’re showcasing the work of innovators, community organisers and social leaders – of all ages – as they enhance power and control, expand purpose and meaning and enable social connections for older people.

> Read the AgeFutures projects

We are working in collaboration with Independent Age, an organisation rethinking ageing and tackling the complex issues to enable older people to stay independent and live well with dignity, choice and control.

“Fostering innovation is at the heart of our strategy and future plans. We aim to support a wide range of innovations with different approaches but a common cause, connected through stories of change, to tackle the challenge of ageism,” explains Andy Hyde, Independent Age’s Innovation & Insight Manager. “To bring about a less divided, more optimistic, age-friendly future we need to confront the ageism in ourselves, in our communities, places of work and our society as a whole. We will only do so if we can connect people and projects from different and diverse perspectives to create practical initiatives for positive ageing.” 

Artist or activist, technologist or teacher, maker or mentor: we are looking for inspiration from all across the globe – and in all areas of human activity and creativity – to tell a different story of what it means to be #stillthefuture from our sixth decade on. We’re giving space to the intergenerational projects that value and make use of the wisdom and experience in our communities, as we push to transform and regenerate our systems. 

“How can we prevent age being yet another breach in our fragile societies, and choose instead to learn from each other how to create, and sustain, a more positive future as we age?” – Cathy Runciman, Atlas of the Future

We’ve already mapped inspiring initiatives from Greenland to the Amazon, and now we want to raise the profile and voices of older people and innovators from across the generations who have real, creative and future-focused solutions to emotional wellbeing for older people – so we need you! Tell us about the people working on inclusive, intersectional projects about positive ageing – those who shift the narrative from ageist stereotypes, those designing with and not just for older people. Because even a long life is too short not to make a difference! 

> Read the AgeFutures projects

AtlasAction ► Shine a light on the innovators making a positive difference to the emotional wellbeing of older people! Submit a project here – and we’ll celebrate and spread the impact of their work through features, interviews, videos and events. Link to our Twitter and Facebook using #AgeFutures.

This project has been selected as part of AgeFutures, a new storytelling project that maps the innovations transforming the lives of older people, and the designers, entrepreneurs and community leaders – across all generations – behind them. Atlas of the Future is excited to partner with Independent Age.