There are more resources, websites, books, films related to
Opus II than you can
imagine…and more everyday. This is a small selection of some of my favorites and/or what
I consider the most useful for the broadest number of people. Some of the “keywords” you
want to use to identify other meaningful resources include: midlife transition, adult
development, civic engagement, purpose in midlife, lifelong learning, third-age,
second half of life, legacy and (financial) life planning. As you know, one thing leads to
another so enjoy your journey through cyberspace and build your own reference list for
your use and to share with your loved ones and friends.
Please email with specific questions at
sharonsokoloff@comcast.net. And have fun. It’s a new world
and we are the pioneers.
www.aarp.org
Of course, AARP is “Goliath”. The advantages that come with this organization are
resources to be on the cutting edge, to gather and disseminate the most current
information.
It is an outstanding overall resource for virtually any topic you can think of
related to midlife and beyond. It is always a worthwhile step in your journey if you
don’t know where to begin.
www.eons.com
Eons purports to be “the largest online gathering of people who are lovin' life
on the flipside of 50!” What I like about “Eons” is it has the
ability to normalize what we are all going through in one way or another.
Because our “new world” is all so new and our experiences are so diffused, many of
us feel alone in our challenging experiences.
I vote for resources that help us realize what we are going through is “normal” and
developmental, just like the teenager separating from his/her parents.
www.civicventures.org
“Civic
Ventures is a think tank and an incubator, generating ideas and inventing programs to
help society achieve the greatest return on experience.
Founded in the late 1990s by social entrepreneurs John Gardner and Marc Freedman”,
Civic Ventures should be one of your first stops in cyberspace. It is inspiring for
individuals and trailblazing in our society.
Don’t feel overwhelmed. We all do this in our own way, big or small, as long as
there is meaning for you. It is, however, exciting to see what is going on in our
“new world”. Enjoy it. It filled with lots of good information and resources.
www.experiencecorps.org/index.cfm
Experience Corps engages people over 55 in meeting their communities greatest
challenges. Experience Corps members tutor and mentor elementary school students
struggling to learn to read. Independent research shows that Experience Corps boosts
student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become
more successful, and enhances the well-being of the older adults in the process.
(Experience Corps is a signature program of Civic Ventures, above). This is what
civic engagement is all about.
There are an increasing number of organizations that connect midlife and older
volunteers (keywords to search) with people and projects that need them, e.g.,
The Peace Corps, philanthropy. The projects are national and local so look to
identify what is in your area. If your passion is ecology or saving the environment
search that. If you are a health care provider of any type, or a teacher, search your
area of expertise in combination with midlife and older volunteers. Virtually
anything we can think of is out there. If it isn’t and you are passionate about it –
you may have just found your purpose.
www.idealist.org
“Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization
with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site
where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities
and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free
and dignified lives.”
Idealist is one of the resources you will find when you search for volunteer
opportunities for people in midlife and beyond. I include it here, specifically,
because a hallmark of Opus II
is my belief that we can be both idealistic and realistic. The website represents
that belief. This is the good news in our world.
www.jobhuntersbible.com
Who doesn’t remember What Color is your Parachute?, the job seeking bible of
our youth? There is now What Color is Your Parachute For Retirement.
This is
the website of Richard Nelson Bolles, the innovator of this paradigm. It is filled
with information and opportunity for all of us interested in paid and non-paid work
and thinking about what we’d like our next chapters to include.
Definitely make a visit. (See http://www.workforce50.com below is a complement to this
site.)
www.lifeplanningnetwork.org
“The Life Planning Network (LPN) is a community of professionals from diverse
fields who share a commitment to providing a broad spectrum of Life Planning services
and resources for the Third Age.
The Third Age is a life stage created by an extended
life expectancy into the eighties and beyond – a time that represents new
possibilities for living in fulfillment and purpose.”
As Vice President of LPN and
the chair of the committee on practice standards, I recommend this site for a basic
education of this time of life and the type of resources useful to making your life
the best it can be.
http://osher.net
This is the home of the National Resource Center for the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institutes, a network of 113 lifelong learning institutes in all but three states.
Each of these unique programs offers peer-led (and sometimes faculty-led) non-credit
courses and are located on college campuses.
As director of the OLLI @ Brandeis
University
www.brandeis.edu/bolli, I am a great advocate for these
learning communities – note the emphasis is on both words. To find a program
in your area, go to the Osher website or to
www.elderhostel.org.
www.vocationvacations.org
“VocationVacations® is dedicated to enriching people’s lives by allowing them to
test-drive the job of their dreams – completely risk-free. Whether a client is
seeking a new career, a unique vacation or the perfect gift for a loved one, a
VocationVacations® adventure provides the experience of a lifetime!”
I’m sharing this with you for three reasons: 1) it’s a totally clever and useful
premise, 2) it’s a totally fun idea, and 3) it totally might be good for you. Check
it out.
www.workforce50.com
Workforce50 was founded in 1975 as the SeniorJobBank.
Recently re-launched under its new name and with an upgraded mission, you’ll see it
is more compelling today than when founded. Workforce50 is committed to helping the
mature job seekers of America find meaningful employment opportunities.
In addition to the facility to seek (and post) employment for workers in midlife
and beyond, Workforce50 offers a wide array of articles to inform us about the
underlying changes in society’s workplaces. It will educate you in many ways to our
“new world”.
