How to better prepare one’s later live? This is the reflection the Belgian campaign “Think Sooner About Later” (“Pensez plus tôt à plus tard”), launched on 2 April 2014, seeks to stimulate. Initiated by the King Baudouin Foundation, this campaign is aimed to change people’s attitudes towards the preparation of their retirement life and relies on a game box ‘50+, à vos projets!’ (meaning something like ‘50+, let’s make projets!’), which addresses, in a funny way, the 6 main themes of the campaign: planning the one’s later career, ensuring one’s financial resources, managing one’s health, thinking about later life, remaining active and interactive, and adapting housing conditions. This box contains cards with questions and proposals of answer to support reflection and dialogue. It and can be used within families, and within or across generations. The boxes will be available starting from 10 April 2014.
In addition, a publication (in French) with practical advice to prepare one’s later life has been issued, which can be downloaded here.
A number of partners are involved in the campaign in order to reach a wider audience through various channels: the Belgians Social Security Ministry and the pension national office and the Belgian Royal Notary Federation, as well as a coalition of 32 associations (including AGE and AGE members Enéo and Respect Seniors).
This campaign is based on the outcome of a project launched in March 2013, which mapped examples of good practices on the preparation of retirement life and ‘second life’ projects and of which AGE was a partner. For this project AGE cooperated with several of its members to have an overview throughout Europe of current projects and initiatives which help prepare or actively live retirement life. The dissemination of good practice examples shall raise awareness of different stakeholders on local, national and European level, including older persons’ organisations. It will also highlight the benefits these projects have not only for individuals but for the whole society, showing that “thinking sooner about later” will save resources and help people to start actively plan their later life and age in a dignified way.
Read more in French on the King Foundation website.
To access/order the campaign’s document and tools, you may go to www.avosprojets.be
For more information on AGE involvement in this project, please contact Ilenia Gheno andOphélie Durand