Earth's Elders Mission Earth's Elders Foundation is a non-profit educational organization committed to improving the lives of the elderly by raising awareness that the elderly are valuable members of society who are often marginalized. Earth's Elders seeks to promote respect for the aged and inspire a sense of personal responsibility that will lead to improved integration of the elderly within our society. Among the primary missions of the organization is to generate new ways to connect young and old; to keep the elderly from being disenfranchised; and to strengthen the value of the family unit. "We are who they were, and they are who we will become."
Jerry Friedman, photographer, author and founder of Earth's Elders Foundation, has spent the past four years on a landmark project to introduce the world to the sixty oldest people on earth. Using his lens to capture a community that has never before been documented, the award-winning photographer has shed new light on the "invisible" world of people 110 years and older, known by researchers as "supercentenarians." His work provides an unprecedented look at the hearts, minds and spirits of these "extreme elderly," and in the process, uncovers remarkable insights into health and the aging process.
With each visit on his globe-trotting journey to capture the lives of these "supercentenarians," Friedman gained a deeper understanding of what the elderly in every culture have to offer. Inspired by the opportunity to improve the quality of life of the elderly, to teach children to recognize the wisdom and value of the elderly as positive and essential parts of our families and our society, and to improve the health of our communities through intergenerational tolerance and communication, Friedman has created an educational non-profit organization, The Earth's Elders Foundation.
Earth's Elders: The Wisdom of the World's Oldest People is published Earth's Elders provides a window into the world of these "human time capsules," whose lives spanned more than a century reaching the outer edge of longevity. In his remarkable portraits, Friedman celebrates their lives, illuminating the rarely glimpsed worlds of men and women who have lived in three different centuries. Their unique experiences – the torching of the all-black town of Rosewood in Florida, the atom bomb attack on Hiroshima, the fall of the last Chinese Dynasty, the assassination of President McKinley, new inventions like the automobile or the washing machine – bring history vividly to life. Embedded in their rich and colorful stories are valuable lessons about the essential dignity and indomitability of the human spirit. (All author proceeds from the sale of the book will go to Earth's Elders Foundation, Inc.)
Educational Curriculum Textbook is Completed
Friedman has recently moved towards completion of the first tier of his mission; he is now bringing the wisdom of the world's oldest people to children. Earth's Elders Foundation, in consultation with a team of educators from Bank Street Graduate School of Education, is developing a curriculum to be used in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. The focus of the curriculum, in keeping with the mission of the foundation, is to raise students' awareness that the elderly are valuable members of society who are worthy of our respect. The curriculum is designed to be enfolded into an ongoing literacy and/or social studies curriculum. It will be pilot-tested in the 2005-2006 school year in a small group of public and independent schools in New York City, Westchester, and Boston. Teachers will measure and document any changes that emerge in students' awareness of and attitudes about the elderly.
