Villages and Age-Friendly Cities
Like a match made in heaven, villages and Age-Friendly Cities share a vision for creating a world in which we would like to grow older.
Current guides and networks exist to assist local community members in navigating the legal and organizational tasks to launch a new village in their area. But shortly thereafter, village leaders must wrestle with longer-term questions about sustainability.
They are forced, by necessity, to operate in the here and now. They lose sleep over the sheer number of operational and financial demands required to keep their villages afloat. However, village leaders know from experience that by uniting they can overcome these challenges. Banding together makes villages more mighty, because they can achieve a scale that ensures their collective voice is heard as well as share the resources that will increase their efficiency, effectiveness and impact.
As with many start-up ventures, new villages often have a relatively easy time finding support systems, funders and organizational resources. Leaders are motivated; philanthropic venture funds are intrigued; best practices are readily available. After the second or third year, however, even successful villages can experience leadership transition, donor fatigue and programmatic entropy. Village Movement California can help villages address the ongoing challenges of growth and sustainability.
Like a match made in heaven, villages and Age-Friendly Cities share a vision for creating a world in which we would like to grow older.
Care Connections Network is a vibrant, active village located in suburban Huntington Beach, California. It is a faith-based village and its membership is comprised of both congregation and community members. Members are focused on educational and social opportunities and the most popular of these is the monthly educational seminars with a free lunch. Seminar presenters are sourced from local community partners and vetted vendors or other organizations serving older adults often sponsor the lunch.