What is CAP?
The Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP) was established in December 2005 to improve the quality of life for older people. Funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies for five years, the partnership brings together:-
- Age Concern
Northern Ireland - Help the Aged
- Queen’s University Belfast
- Workers’ Educational Association
CAP’s vision is of a strong, informed voice capable of challenging attitudes and approaches to ageing.
The goal is to empower older people to transform how they are viewed by sections within our society. To realise this, the programme will develop a holistic agenda that recognises the multiple realities of older people’s lives alongside issues traditionally associated with older people such as health and social care, economic independence and community safety.
What will CAP do?
CAP’s vision will be delivered through four integrated programme strands, each led by a partner organisation:-
- Age Concern
Northern Ireland
Equality policy development with older people and public bodies - Help the Aged
Capacity building, co-ordination and communication with older people and age sector organisations - Queen’s University
Belfast
Research and policy evidence that will support the work of age sector organisations and inform politicians, government and the wider policy family - Workers’ Educational Association
Leadership and lobbying training to build advocacy skills among older people and groups
CAP will:-
- Increase opportunities for consultation, networking and lobbying
- Communicate widely to raise awareness and understanding of ageing and celebrate the diversity of older people’s lives
- Establish an interactive website to share information
- Run an annual ‘Age Awareness Week’ during the first week in October
What CAP will achieve?
CAP envisages that the programme will result in better focus on ageing issues with:-
- A greater number of older people skilled in leadership and representation
- Enhanced skill, capacity and confidence of age sector organisations to be influential leaders
- Increased political attention and commitment to older people
- A better understanding of ageing, together with the use of CAP’s research evidence to set the policy agenda
- Greater recognition of the significant impact equality obligations can have on older people’s lives and increased emphasis by public bodies on securing tangible improvement through effective implementation
- Greater appreciation by organisations and individuals of the contribution they can make to the ageing agenda identified by older people and age sector organisations
CAP Values
CAP is committed to partnership. We will work to the same shared values in collaborating with others as we have done in developing our own partnership - assuming the best of each other, trust, openness and transparency, mutual support and positive commitment to deliver on individual and collective goals.