What We Do
Community Leaders Fellowship
Lived experience. Shared solutions. Thriving communities.
We’re living longer, healthier lives. Yet, ageism is on the rise. Building inclusive, accessible communities where we all age well requires dismantling ageist frameworks and centering the voices of those most impacted.
Grounded in the philosophy that marginalized groups already hold the answers to their own liberation, we created the Community Leaders Fellowship to bridge the gap between municipal leaders who envision age-inclusive communities and older residents with the lived experience to guide them.
The Community Leaders Fellowship is a year-long program where older adults and municipal leaders collaborate to make change:
- Explore how ageism impacts your community
- Identify areas where change is most needed
- Gain skills and tools to build awareness, take action, and share power
- Design and implement a community-wide project for Ageism Awareness Day
How It Works
Commitment
Local government decides to bring the Fellowship to their town and applies to participate. The program is free to municipalities.
Recruitment
Selected municipalities send three representatives to participate as Municipal Fellows and work with us to recruit up to 10 older adult residents to participate as Community Fellows.
Learning
Municipal and Community Fellows attend workshops to build connection, evaluate community needs, design a project for Ageism Awareness Day, and develop skills needed for the project.
Implementation
Municipal and Community Fellows collaborate on an Ageism Awareness Day project, supported by check-ins and guidance from the Collaborative.
Achievement
By working together, Fellows achieve tangible, co-created progress toward a more age-inclusive community. Changes are grounded in community authority and lived experience.
Program Benefits
Download the Brochure
Find out more about how the Community Leaders Fellowship can help your municipality weave lived experience into the fabric of local government.
Apply to Participate
For Municipalities
Municipal applications for the 2027 Community Leaders Fellowship are now open; applications are due September 26. To preview a PDF of the application, click here.
For Community Members
Applications for 2026 Community Fellows in participating towns will open in December. Subscribe to our e-news to stay up-to-date!
More to Explore
The 2023 Fellowship
Learn more about the 2023 Community Leaders Fellowship by streaming our Age Well Academy webinar, Honoring Lived Experience and Creating Community Authority, which tells the story of our first cohort of Fellows.
