Changing Ageing Partnership

Look through the windows of a few Belfast storefront offices on any given weekday and you might see a group of older city residents engrossed in matters of political strategy and lobbying.

What can we do about the shortage of foot doctors in the city? Why do certain neighbourhoods have good bus service and others have none? And, what can we do about it?

The Changing Ageing Partnership aims to help the older citizens of Northern Ireland answer those questions, and demand necessary changes from the government. It’s part of an overall plan, funded by Atlantic, that seeks to develop a culture of rights and equality among older people, with increased involvement of older adults themselves.

The members of these small groups come together regularly and focus on very practical ways to address problems and make the most of opportunities.They develop their skills in public speaking, learn to organise a presentation, and most importantly – how to lobby government officials. It’s amazing how much interest a public official will have in an issue raised by an older member of the community, when she is standing in front of 20 concerned allies at a public meeting.

The Changing Ageing Partnership was established in 2005 to build a critical mass of older people working in the community to shape and influence issues essential to achieving a better quality of life for the older population of Northern Ireland. The four grantees joined in this effort each work on a different piece of the project:

• Age Concern Northern Ireland focuses on equity and policy development
• Help the Aged in Northern Ireland is building advocacy capacity within the country’s ageing sector through convenings, networking and a Web site
• Queen’s University Belfast is providing research and policy evidence
• Workers’ Educational Association is delivering advocacy skills training to older people.

The networking doesn’t end in the small groups. Each member expands on the programme by involving friends from their individual neighbourhoods, which creates a new web of influence and empowerment for the older population in Belfast.