A short guide to rejecting the young/old binary—individually &amp; collectively—designed to inspire new approaches to aging

A short guide to rejecting the young/old binary—individually & collectively—designed to inspire new approaches to aging

Ryan Backer is an age activist striving to undo ageism within an intersectional framework. They have been on this social justice path since 2013 and are a co-creator of Old School. They've facilitated workshops on undoing ageism and queering age in NYC, Philadelphia, Louisville, Germany, Ireland, and Canada. You can learn more about their anti-ageism workshop 'Age Queer' in their zine linked below, as well as their collaborative workshop called "Let's Dismantle Ageism!".

Ryan aims to eradicate ageism, along with white supremacy, gender bias, ableism, body shaming, homophobia, classism and all other forms of oppression. They've worked as an in-home care partner, as well as interned at the Edie Windsor SAGE Center, the NYC Elder Abuse Center, and Brooklyn Pride Center's ElderPRIDE. When they are not presenting workshops or working on Old School they are organizing intergenerational events and groups, creating zines, and writing articles for ChangingAging. 

Ryan identifies as a white, non-binary, European-American ‘old person in training’ with an undergraduate degree in Gerontology. 

Photo Credit: Kinga Michalska

Age activist striving to undo ageism within an intersectional framework.

Ryan Backer

Ageism (discrimination on the basis of age) is easy to overlook and difficult to untangle. It is compounded by other forms of prejudice and LGBTQIA2S+ communities are especially susceptible to generational silos. Thanks to their unique life courses, though, queer people happen to be very well-suited to dismantle ageism and dispel any notions of intergenerational conflict. In this workshop we will be exploring the intersection of ageism and queerphobia and how they combine and cause more harm together. We will learn to combat them both, along with other forms of prejudice, in order to make the world a better place for everyone.

Age Pride – Ageism and the Queer Experience Workshop Created By: Ryan Backer & Kyrié Carpenter for Oldschool.info

This 30-minute workshop led by queer age activist Ryan Backer investigates how ageism & queerphobia intersect & how to dismantle them both. 

Age Pride – Ageism and the Queer Experience

This one-hour workshop is designed to raise awareness of what ageism is, how it appears in our lives, and what each of us can do to dismantle it. It can be done in an office over a lunch hour, at a community center or library, in schools and clubs, etc. The workshop is universal, meaning it is applicable to people of all ages and in all walks of life. Hire the Old School team to give the workshop, or use the links below to present your own.

An Old School Workshop Let's Dismantle Ageism Created by:  Mel Coppola, Ryan Backer & Kyrié Carpenter

Everything you need to host your own one hour workshop

Let's Dismantle Ageism

Identity & Intersectionality: More than the sum of our parts

This self-paced, highly interactive course led by Old School co-founders RB & KC explains how intersectionality affects identity & opportunity + its effect in aging services

Moving Toward Antibigotry: Collected Essays from the Center for Antiracist Research’s Antibigotry Convening

This report examines commonalities across 15 kinds of bigotry, including ageism, in order to inform solidarity & an antibigotry movement 

The DEI + N Talks. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Neurodiversity

A panel discussion on ageism in (DEI+N) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Neurodivergence relevant to diverse thinkers & learners

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About this resource:	A short guide to rejecting the young/old binary—individually & collectively—designed to inspire new approaches to aging
Contact information:	Email address: ryan@oldschool.info Phone: +1 347 633 1197 Website: https://www.ageactivism.com/contact
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Nuthin but a Number The Age Edition