CARING ACROSS GENERATIONS
CARING ACROSS GENERATIONS: Changing the Way we Care
Jobs with Justice is a proud co-lead on this innovative new campaign to address the pending direct care crisis. Currently, the direct care workforce is approximately 3 million workers and with 27 million Americans estimated to need direct care services by 2040, the time is now for bold action.
Caring Across Generations is a campaign to transform long-term care in the United States for our loved ones who count on the support of caregivers to meet their basic daily needs, the workers who provide the support, and the families who struggle to find and afford quality care for their family members.
The gap between the care that is needed and the current workforce could present a social crisis of immense proportions. As a nation, we have yet to take collective responsibility for providing a dignified quality of life for our elders.
People from all walks of life are joining together in a new movement for change. In order to care for our country’s aging population, we must ensure that families are able to afford quality direct care, that direct care workers have fair and safe working conditions, and that workers have access to the appropriate training, career advancement, and citizenship.
We must PROTECT WHAT WE HAVE and CREATE WHAT WE NEED! The collective power of all those touched by the care crisis will be critical to fighting back the vicious attacks to programs and protections we hold dear.
If we are to ensure access to quality and dignified work for our loved ones, there are five elements of Current Public Policy that we need to be protected:
PROTECT WHAT WE HAVE:
Medicaid
Medicare
Social Security
Home Care Jobs
Workers Rights
Caring Across Generation campaign will including drafting and proposing a piece of legislation aimed at Caring for the aging and respecting & educating our direct care workforce.
CREATE WHAT WE NEED:
Care Jobs
Jobs Quality and Rights to Organize
Training and Career Ladders
Path to Citizenship
Support for Families and Individuals
LOCALIZING A NATIONAL MOVEMENT: Making Connections and Bringing the Campaign Home
We are in a moment where many important forms of support for our communities and loved ones are being threatened. Locally, the campaign will work to protect funding and other key supports for workers and people in need of care, while we build the movement to expand what currently exists. Our core policy goals are connected to many ongoing initiatives for care, work-family balance, worker rights and human dignity led by our partners; Caring Across Generations will elevate all of these efforts.
Care Councils
Caring Across Generations working groups called “Care Councils” are forming across the country with Jobs with Justice coalitions anchoring them in many cities across the nation. Care Councils include organizations representing the full range of relationships to care, including older adults, people with disabilities, women’s groups, worker organizations and unions, immigrant rights, faith-based, community and youth organizations. Jobs with Justice plays a crucial role in these Care Councils to develop shared local and state-based policy platforms and anchor local initiatives to promote the campaign values and policy goals, such as City Council Resolutions and “Care Congresses.”
Care Congresses
Care Councils will organize “Care Congresses,” town hall-like events bringing together thousands of people to share experiences and envision a better future together. Care Congresses will reflect the priorities of local Care Councils; some will focus on sharing stories and building the local care movement while others will focus on moving local and state-based policy goals forward. All Care Congresses will include intergenerational learning toward collective action around common values.
Intergenerational Relationships
Caring Across Generations offers an intergenerational lens on all issues of concern for families. Caring Across Generations summer youth programs will support youth to document the oral histories of older adults in their communities, seeing the world through their eyes; and organizing with older adults will include discussions about paid sick days, job creation and immigration. Participants will also work together to engage voters, young and aging, in the values of the campaign and the importance of voting our values.
Civic Engagement
Care Campaign members will work together to mobilize voters to the polls and into the movement to transform care. Community groups in at least five key states will work in focused partnership with unions to reach and register older adult voters in particular, to build organizing committees among older adults and strengthen the civic voice of older adults for progressive change beyond the elections.
Related Initiatives
We are in a moment where many important forms of support for our communities and loved ones are being threatened. Locally, the campaign will work to protect funding and other key supports for workers and people in need of care, while we build the movement to expand what currently exists. Our core policy goals are connected to many ongoing initiatives for care, work-family balance, worker rights and human dignity led by our partners; Caring Across Generations will elevate all of these efforts.
Site: http://caringacrossgenerations.org
Videos:
DC Care Congress
