Innovation: Pass It On Network

USA and international

AAI Domains:

• Capacity and enabling environment (use of ICT)

• Participation in society (social connectedness, voluntary activities)

• Independent, healthy and secure living (lifelong learning)

The experiences, knowledge and wisdom that older people have accumulated over a life time are a precious resource particularly in relation to active ageing. Older people are experts on ageing by virtue of their lived experience and with increasing numbers of older people they are a valuable resource that needs to be utilised for the benefit of wider society.

The Pass It On Network is the creation of Jan Hively and Moira Allan, who met in 2008 at a conference on positive ageing and were inspired by the wisdom of Hopi American culture in a poem that included the line ‘we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.’ The wisdom of thought leaders on ageing were the people that we’ve been waiting for and the Pass It On Network (PION) became the social innovation that would enable this wisdom to be documented and spread.

PION has established a grassroots network of adult thought leaders who are responding to the demands of ageing by acting as a repository of ideas and initiator of projects and programmes from organisations around the world. PION emphasises self-determination, community participation and social interaction as vital elements of active ageing.

By 2013 they had developed a global online platform for socially innovative projects and encouraged people to become leaders making the case for active ageing in their country with a focus on building supportive community networks, creating pathways to meaningful work and expanding learning opportunities, particularly for older people. PION was officially launched in 2014 and has participated in several international forums and conferences on positive/active ageing and is planning to expand further in the forthcoming years.

In relation to active ageing, the Pass It On Network has the potential to affect lifelong learning particularly in relation to active/positive ageing. A key element of PION is building stronger social connections, particularly among thought leaders on ageing, so that they can share the experience and wisdom that they have developed over their lives. These activities are undertaken on a largely voluntary basis and provide a form of bottom-up source for wisdom on the promotion of active ageing.

Pass It On Network website