The Eisner Journal

Aging Societies Should Make More of Mentorship

July 6, 2016

The past year brought a rich array of films depicting connections between a wise, older mentor and a younger person in need of sage guidance, in ways that often defied gauzy stereotypes, from art-house movies like Lily Tomlin’s Grandma to blockbusters like Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The explosive growth of the older population means a lot of leading actors are entering their post-midlife years, and a vast Boomer audience is apparently keen on continuing to see familiar stars playing out uplifting themes that speak to their own lives.

Today, our CEO Trent Stamp and Encore.org’s Marc Freedman explore how we can help life better imitate art by fostering the kinds of of mutually-beneficial, cross-generational relationships being depicted in these and other films in the Harvard Business Review here.