Blog #81: Elders! Think Globally, Act Locally
- Jennifer Butz
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
October 1st is the United Nations International Day of Older Persons. This year’s theme is:
“Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights.”
It’s not just a slogan. It’s a shift.
The UN is recognizing older adults not as recipients of care or passive participants, but as active contributors to community strength, global progress, and social transformation. This is a call to center older people’s leadership, wisdom, and lived experience.
This is what WonderCrone has been saying all along. This call to action aligns powerfully with everything we have been exploring in the recent 5-part series on service after 50.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve named and claimed the real contributions people 50+ bring to the table:
Wisdom and Perspective. We’ve lived through change, loss, reinvention, and renewal. That perspective is not theoretical—it’s embodied.
Connection and Continuity. We’re often the ones who hold relationships together, pass on stories, traditions, and lessons—and remind others of what truly matters.
Leadership in Action. We lead in ways that are often quieter but no less powerful. We mentor, organize, show up, and hold space for others to thrive.
Creativity and Growth. Aging is not an endpoint—it can be a season of experimentation, freedom, and new forms of expression.
And in our fifth post, we named the spark: We serve not because we’re supposed to “give back”—but because we still have so much to give.
What does this mean for you?
If you’ve been following the series, you’ve likely recognized pieces of yourself in these posts. And now, with October 1st on the horizon, you’re invited to reflect on your own aspirations. Not resolutions. Not to-do lists. Aspirations.
What are you still called to be part of?
Where do you want to make a difference—small or large, local or global?
What legacy do you want to shape in real time—not just look back on?
You don’t have to launch a nonprofit or become a public speaker. But you do get to name your contribution.
Here’s one simple step. Look back at the five posts in the What We Bring After 50 series. Choose one that resonated with you the most. Then ask yourself: How am I already living this out—and how might I do so with more clarity or intention? You may be doing more than you realize.
Because frankly, older adults are already changing the world—just often without recognition.
Let’s make that visible. Let’s step fully into this third chapter with the confidence that what we bring matters—deeply, urgently, and uniquely.
Come be part of it. Explore the series. Or check out WonderCrone on Spotify to listen to the podcasts. Join our community where aging is seen as power—not decline.