If Marc Freedman is right, the American workplace will soon undergo its largest transformation since the women’s movement. The agents of this change? The many baby boomers who plan to delay their retirement for an “encore career.”
Mr. Freedman, a social entrepreneur and CEO of Civic Ventures, a think tank, sees a new stage of life beginning where midlife careers end. As legions of older workers seek new challenges ”“ or continue their current work ”“ this burgeoning movement will give them a combination of continued income, greater impact, and added purpose.
Purpose is a word that figures prominently in Freedman’s vocabulary. He has even established a major award by that name, the Purpose Prize ”“ a three-year, $9 million program honoring social innovators over the age of 60 who are working to solve critical social problems. These range from global warming to infant mortality, from hunger to high dropout rates for Hispanic students.
This week Freedman announced the 15 finalists in his second annual Purpose Prize. The five top winners, to be announced in September, will each receive $100,000; the others $10,000 each. In addition to reshaping their own lives, the recipients are having positive effects on their communities.
What an opportunity for Christian service—all the more timely as orthodox Anglicans in North America seek to build new parishes and revive gospel ministries that languished in ECUSA.
Alas, there is no category for aging musicians.