The creators of Old School's Let's Dismantle Ageism workshop take you through it in this 32-minute video 

Below are all the links you need to present your own workshop. 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.

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

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A self-proclaimed “emerging Elder”, Mel’s passion for the past eleven plus years has been to elevate the status of Elderhood in our society.  One of the ways she does this is by raising awareness of ageism and ableism.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">During her years as a care partner for several family members, including her mom—a fabulous, strong-willed woman who lived with mental illness—Mel experienced first-hand how people were often treated differently due to the stigma of age or mental health.  She didn’t understand just how wrong this was due to her own internalized ageism and ableism. It was through her work in home care that Mel became exposed to an organization with a different outlook on aging and support for people of all ages and abilities—The Eden Alternative.  They helped her to understand the stigma and “othering” that happens when people are seen as a stereotype rather than a unique individual. She soon became a Certified Educator and Mentor with The Eden Alternative and currently facilitates several of their offerings, both in person and online.  Sharing and teaching this philosophy, which includes dismantling ageism and ableism, has become her life’s work. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Mel works with organizations along the spectrum of aging care services to help transform their culture of care from a medical/institutional model to a more person-directed approach.  She has presented at national and international aging conferences, on local radio shows, and in webinars; she has written articles, blogs and workshops. Mel earned a Certificate in Gerontology through St. Pete College.  It doesn’t matter the audience, the message Mel brings is that growing old is not a medical condition—it’s a natural part of life. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">If Mel’s passion for ending ageism and ableism speaks to you, let her develop something for your conference or organization.  Some of Mel’s Ageism-focused presentations include:</span>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rocking Aging, Not Rocking Chairs</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ageism: Recognizing and Destroying the Weed Sabotaging Your Culture Change Journey</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I work in the Field of Aging, So of Course I’m Not Ageist! (Am I?)</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Stigma of Being Other: Exploring the Prejudices of Aging and Care</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">From Awareness to Advocacy: From Ageism to Age Pride</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well-Being is a Rainbow Flag: Putting Well-Being Back into the Lives of LGBT Elders</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aging Intentionally:  How Words Can Change Our Perceptions</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aging With Purpose</span></li>
</ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let's Dismantle Ageism</span></li>
</ul>

Educator & skilled facilitator; Certified Educator with the Eden Alternative, an expert in person-centered care.

Mel Coppola

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I’m Kyrié (Kee-re-ay), a coach and ageism activist. My passion for story led me to a career in film, studies in Depth Psychology, and ultimately my work with aging. I love being with others in their story, particularly at points of transition. I work with individuals as well as organizations to guide transformation and growth that continues long after our engagement ends.

I fight ageism as a co-founder of OldSchool.info. I helped shift the tragedy only narrative of aging and dementia on the ChangingAging tour. Prior to this I worked with elders living in long-term care. In 2015 I traveled to all 50 states living in a van the culmination of which was founding a wellness center, Prosper. I have an MA in Counseling Psychology and wrote my thesis on the Anti-Aging myth in America. 

<h2>KEYNOTES &amp; WORKSHOPS</h2>
Let's Dismantle Ageism: This one-hour, highly interactive workshop explores what ageism is, where to look for it—starting between our ears—and how it distorts our sense of self and our place in the world. Let’s Dismantle Ageism equips participants with new tools, more accurate narratives about age and aging, and ways to take this awareness out into the world.

Still Kicking: Confronting Ageism and Ableism in the Pandemic’s Wake
It doesn’t take much head-scratching to realize that much of our apprehension about growing older is actually about how our minds and bodies will change. Scratch some more and we uncover the social and political forces that feed and profit from these fears. Still Kicking, a 90-minute interactive workshop, delves into the nature of ageism and ableism, how they intersect and reinforce each other, and why it’s so important to dismantle the dread and dual stigma. To live is to age, and we age well not by avoiding disability but by adapting to it—a powerful, enriching, lifelong process that unites us all.

I have presented at conferences, schools and care communities internationally. I am available to come to your location or to present digitally. See my <a href="https://www.croneintraining.com/resume">resumé</a> for more example topics and offerings.

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Millennial planting seeds for personal & cultural growth through coaching, speaking, & workshops.

Kyrié Carpenter

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.

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About this resource:	The creators of Old School's Let's Dismantle Ageism workshop take you through it in this 32-minute video
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Mel Coppola

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