LiveOn NY Celebrates Older Americans Month with SAY YOUR AGE as Calls for More Investment in Aging Grows.
The Campaign Will Feature Older New Yorkers Who Challenge Stereotypes
and Encourage the Public and Policymakers to Rethink Aging
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, May 18, 2023 – Today, LiveOn NY, an advocacy organization launched an anti-ageism campaign called SAY YOUR AGE to change how people think and talk about aging and older New Yorkers. The campaign kicked off with a new PSA ad in Brooklyn in partnership with City Council Member Crystal Hudson, Chair of the Aging Committee, and will run throughout the City through May in honor of Older Americans Month.
Against a backdrop of research that reveals ageism (discrimination based on age) is a reality that impacts older adults with 82 percent of them experiencing one form of ageism daily, SAY YOUR AGE encourages people to speak out and rethink aging. “The campaign turns our negative connotations around aging into positive images, and features the diversity and contributions of older people,” said Allison Nickerson, Executive Director LiveOn NY. “We are working to fight ageism at all levels, including a city budget that hasn't prioritized older adults and aging services remaining at less than 1% of the overall City budget. In the lead up to the adoption of the budget we want to combat the negative narrative about aging to advance policies that support us all as we age.”
“Too many of our neighbors are routinely discriminated against because of their age, sowing deep insecurity and anxiety about what it means to grow older in our City,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Aging. “Yet, to age is a gift. And the ‘Say Your Age’ campaign is a cause for celebration. It’s an opportunity to let our older neighbors rejoice in their old age. It is an opportunity to highlight the contributions and lives of everyday older New Yorkers and challenge our society’s perception of what it means to grow older. It is our chance to present, for all to see, the immense joy, the rich lives, and the diverse experiences of our older neighbors, because hopefully one day we’ll be so lucky to grow old in this beautiful city we call home.”
In addition to the PSA, “SAY YOUR AGE” campaign uses a “Participatory Photography” approach to engage community members to use their photos and their stories to promote the change they want to see. The Say YOUR AGE campaign consists of a PSA, video and a website where New Yorkers can learn more about ageism and how to combat ageism. It features real older New Yorkers who are active and challenge the stereotypes that some have about older adults.
LiveOn NY created the campaign in collaboration with F.Y. Eye, a NYC-based nonprofit media agency that amplifies social issues around the country. Thanks to a donation from LinkNYC, the “SAY YOUR AGE” campaign will be shared citywide via scores of kiosks reaching close to a million New Yorkers.
“It is critical that there are powerful, positive messages uplifting aging in the public square,” said Andrea Wilson, Creative Manager of F.Y. Eye. “These PSAs and their strategic placement will help shift attitudes and create a more supportive, inclusive culture for all New Yorkers at every stage of life. We’re proud to partner with LiveOn NY to build a more informed, caring public to strengthen community wellbeing.”
The campaign aligns with the national “Reframing Aging Initiative,” a multi-year strategy to counteract ageism and improve the way policymakers, stakeholders, and the public think about aging and older people. The Reframing Aging Initiative takes a holistic approach using an evidence-based communication strategy as the core to create collective change in public discourse, policies and practices.
Learn more about the SAY YOUR AGE campaign, by visiting our website: https://www.liveon-ny.org/say-your-age
About LiveOn NY
Founded 44 years ago, LiveOn’s mission is to represent the diverse network of nonprofit organizations that help older New Yorkers thrive in their communities. Through advocacy, mobilization and coalition building, we advance systemic change to ensure that New York is an equitable and inclusive place to age regardless of wealth, racial disparities and other barriers. LiveOn’s member network includes 120 nonprofit agencies that run more than 1,000 community programs and serve over 500,000 older adults annually. For more information, please visit our website, https://www.liveon-ny.org/
About F.Y. Eye
F.Y. Eye is a nonprofit media agency revolutionizing social impact communications through the power of media, community, and art. Since 2005, their work has increased equitable access to information, resources and services in NYC. Through strategic research and design, F.Y. Eye’s programs center nonprofit work in the public square to strengthen community wellbeing and connect vulnerable populations to critical community resources. Visit fyeye.org
Press Contact:
Brianna Paden-Williams, Communications and Policy Associate, bpaden-williams@liveon-ny.org 908-868-7681