How to innovate and integrate seniors actively in society? Forget Grandma knitting and watching soap opera, she has plenty of energy to make a difference.
As life expectancy increases, Brazil began to feel the same seniority effects that Europe feels for years. Portugal suffers with a population shrinkage. Neither China has escaped, what can be confirmed by the end of the only-child policy. In the future we will have more grandma than grandchildren.
On the other hand the cult of youthness continues, seeking employment after 50 is a thankless task, a 26 year-old trainee is old (and yes, I’ve seen it happening!). Well, how can you be young and experienced at the same time? Luckily some companies already wave for change.
Think about a restaurant. Think about good food. Is any food better than the one prepared by our grandma? A group of students at the Hogeschool in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, broke new ground by placing grannies to cook in a restaurant. The Oma’s Pop-Up (translated from Dutch, oma = grandmother), a pop-up restaurant in Rotterdam, count on them for the preparation of traditional Dutch cuisine specialties. They receive a workshop with a chef and then prepare the meals for clients. An initiative that promotes reintegration of elderly in society, exchange of experiences and, of course, tasty meals made with love.
In Brazil a businessman made a job offer for two ladies between 60 and 80 years old to be greeters in his restaurant. The impact was so great that the selection featured more than 500 candidates. Finally, 22 were hired for many sectors. In return, in addition to salary, the establishment offers “soft chairs and customers willing to talk”, but most of ladies didn’t ask for payment, all they really wanted was a work opportunity.
Now, if you want to revolutionize, you can even make your grandma (or grandpa!) famous by publishing videos on CookMood, Brazilian startup that provides streaming of cooking classes. Granny makes the recipe, you record and people pay for the class, minimum $5, via PayPal. It would be like a “culinary Uber”, ordinary people share that recipe everyone loves. According to the founder, “CookMood is empowering and innovative. Anyone who cooks can be a teacher. The class takes place in your kitchen”. Isn’t it cool?
References: Projeto Draft, UOL
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