Age Friendly Illawarra Forum

Age Friendly Illawarra is an alliance that aims to create opportunities for older people to lead active, engaged lives and contribute positively to Illawarra communities. Initiated by Edmiston Jones with the IRT Foundation, the steering committee now includes Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation, Healthy Cities Illawarra and University of Wollongong Global Challenges. A forum will be held at 4.30pm on Thursday 30 August in Wollongong Town Hall’s Music Lounge. Kathryn Greiner AO, Chair of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing, will join speakers from the University of Wollongong and Healthy Cities Illawarra to discuss the region’s age-friendly regional action plan. The Age Friendly Illawarra Alliance (AFIA) has developed a region-wide three-year action plan consistent with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities. The plan was developed based on an audit of the Illawarra’s existing facilities and community against WHO’s eight domains of an age-friendly city - Outdoor Spaces and Buildings, Transportation, Housing, Social Participation, Respect and Social Inclusion, Civic Participation and Employment, Communication and Information and Community and Health Services. Age Friendly Illawarra now wants to work with local representatives in industry, business and the community and learn how they can contribute to driving the age-friendliness of the Illawarra, and enable older people to lead active and engaged lives and contribute positively to our region. Chairs, assembled by Men’s Sheds, to be provided to shops that demonstrate age friendly awareness. The forum will explore the latest regional innovations, collaborations and partnerships already capitalising on the region’s ageing demographic, and will share the Alliance’s regional approach to issues across the WHO domains of outdoor spaces and environment, social and civic participation and information and communication. The event is free however please register to help us with catering. To listen to Mark's interview before the event, click here.