By Suzanne Braun Levine,
Civic Ventures Board Member

I joined the Board of Civic Ventures in 2009, and one of the most inspiring elements of their mission is the discovery and celebration of outstanding social entrepreneurs in the Encore stage of life. The winners of the Purpose Prize have been selected from hundreds of nominees, and having had the honor of being one of the judges, I can tell you that the choices were tough to make; there were many resourceful and courageous candidates for this year’s prizes.

By Suzanne Braun Levine

Back in 2000 my first book Father Courage: What Happens When Men Put Family First came out. In it I talked about men who desperately wanted to be more involved with their families and do more of their share at home but were constrained by the workplace culture and the prevailing image of how a Real Man prioritized his work and family. One told me that he was so afraid of getting caught leaving his office at 6:00 p.m. and being thought not committed to his work that he parked in a distant corner of the parking lot. Another told me that when he went to the playground with his baby daughter on a weekday, people assumed one of two things – that he was unemployed (a failure) or a sexual predator.

By Stefanie Weiss,
VP Communications at
Civic Ventures

Some of the most inspiring Encore stories come from Civic Ventures Purpose Prize winners and fellows, people in their 60s who are tackling society’s toughest problems.

By Ruth A. Wooden,
Chair, Civic Ventures

Shift Happens. It’s probably happening to you right now

My big shift started when I retired last year, and it’s still going. I’m not sure where I’m headed, but it’s been a pleasure to hit the pause button while I ponder. Lately, certain life moments have hooked my attention, turning points that mark shifts not only in the world around me but in the way I view it.

Over coffee on a winter afternoon, I spoke with Courtney Martin for Encore.org about how to go about making the world a better place.

Courtney Martin is the author of “Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists.” She speaks to her generation in her writings and her blogs on Feministing.com (“young feminists blogging, organizing, kicking ass”). And she speaks about her generation to older activists who are trying to figure out where all the political flowers have gone.

By Suzanne Braun Levine

This is past weekend I experienced a powerful antidote to the gloom and doom that seem to have settled over current events: the company of inspiring and determined social entrepreneurs, who had gathered in Philadelphia (appropriately, given the reminders everywhere of the idealism and perseverance that it took to invent our Constitution) to share information and give fellow pioneers moral support.

Want to Combine Purpose, Passion and a Paycheck?
The Two-Week Program Begins ONLINE, October 19th
LIVE Sessions: Oct. 22, 29, 2010, 12:00-1:15.PM EST
On October 22nd, I will be part of a Live Interactive Webcast Panel and groundbreaking Encore Careers Program on The New York Times Knowledge Network (October 19-November 2, 2010).
The two-week course, designed by social entrepreneur and author Marc Freedman and Civic Ventures, is an exciting opportunity for those of us who want to combine purpose, passion and a paycheck in second adulthood. …

By Ruth Wooden

President, Public Agenda & Chair of the Board, Civic Ventures
There’s a new chapter required in The Etiquette Handbook:  “What to say to someone who is retiring.”
I can’t get over some of the things people have said to me after a routine announcement that I plan to retire as President of a NYC-based nonprofit later this year.  By the time I retire, I will be 64 and will have served more than seven years in this position after a working career of more than …

Civic Ventures and Encore.org in the News – Again!
Photo Credit: Angela Jimenez for The New York Times
Ever since the June, 2009 White House hosted an event salute to social innovators who are in their Encore Careers, Civic Ventures www.civicventures.org and Encore.org have been in the news.
On March 3, 2010 The New York Times (by Elizabeth Pope) reported on “Matching Life Experience With New Careers:”
“HEALTH navigator? Conflict coach? Pollution mitigation outreach worker? These emerging jobs aren’t household terms yet, but they are a natural fit for older people looking for …

Ann Higdon
MEET ANN HIGDON
2009 PURPOSE PRIZE WINNER
“The Purpose Prize gathering is revolutionary,” said Ellen Goodman the newspaper columnist and herself, the winner of a Pulitzer Prize. “I am looking at you as my mentors,” she told the audience in her keynote address at the recent Purpose Prize Summit.
I have to agree. It was a room filled with inspiring people and stories.
I met Ann Higdon, winner of a 2009 Purpose Prize ($50,000.) and was impressed by her strength, warmth, and humor. Ann is the fist to admit that in high school …