Every year, 1 October is designated as the United Nations Day of Older Persons. This year is particularly special because it marks the half-way point of our own World Social Work Day theme of Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing.
This theme chimes with the theme of the UN day this year: Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being, and Our Rights.
The ethos of both themes is that age should not be a way of categorising or dividing people.
- People contribute throughout their life-course.
- People build relationships across generations.
- People hold the same human dignity, aspirations and rights their whole life through.
As a global profession working with people of all ages and stages of life, we have an opportunity to promote relationships, human dignity, aspirations, wellbeing and rights without reference to age.
The UN day and our own theme of intergenerational solidarity are an invitation to social work to celebrate later life as part of our purpose: to promote social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. (IFSW, 2014)