Coming of Age is an initiative to promote civic engagement and community leadership among residents ages 50 years and older. There are currently over 37 million Americans ages 65 or older, and by 2030 this number will have doubled. There is great potential for older people to become incredible social resources in the community. The Coming of Age program helps older individuals find a means to contribute to the greater good of the community. Program objectives include helping individuals plan for a future; promoting volunteering, learning, and community leadership; and working with nonprofits to recruit, train, and retain volunteers ages 50+. The initiative includes multiple components including (1) Boomervision!™, a lecture/community dialogue series; (2) Recasting Our Community, a leadership training program; (3) What’s Next? A life planning/peer coaching initiative; and (4) Conferences and workshops to help nonprofits build their capacity to provide compelling volunteer opportunities.

The goal of the Coming of Age initiative is to promote civic engagement, learning and community leadership among residents ages 50 years and older.

The Coming of Age model is based on focus group research conducted at Temple University.