What Do Flower Children of the 1960's Want From A Community Center in 2011?

Baby Boomers have passion for life and adventure, want to create social change and make an impact on society, are reinviting retirement, and are the largest demographic in the US.    But, what is a baby boomer – or a golden boomer?  What makes them so hard to reach? 

Questions like these run through my mind each day I set foot into the Niles Senior Center.  I see people from all walks of life ranging from their mid 50’s through their mid 90’s.  Lately, however, we seem to have an influx the latter group and less of the younger folks.  And while we cherish our much older population that attend our daily events and keep active here at the NSC, something seems to be missing from our well rounded community here.

The United States Census Bureau considers a baby boomer to be someone born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964.  The Golden Boomers are Baby Boomers who are retired or will retire from an occupation or profession.   The baby boom has been described as a "shockwave” and as "the pig in the python." By the sheer force of its numbers, the boomers are demographic bulge which have remodeled society to fit their needs. 

Baby Boomers also have unique characteristics that make it hard to reach them – and believe me, we have tried.  As Boomers age, their early characteristics, formed in the 60s, will be the key to marketing.   One feature of Boomers was that they tended to think of themselves as a unique and special generation – one very different from those that had come before. In the 1960s, as the large numbers of young people became teenagers and young adults, they, and those around them, created and fostered changes in the world, in civil rights, politics, arts and culture.  Their freedoms and expressions of change had an important impact in the self perceptions of themselves, as well as their tendency to define the world in terms of generations, which was a relatively new phenomenon.

So what do they want now?  Perhaps not even the boomers can tell us, but an understanding of their early years may be the secret to reaching Boomers.

Boomers, as I have mentioned in a past blog, are very civic minded.  They tend to lean toward community volunteerism, travel, and have a strong sense of adventure.  They want to do things that give their lives meaning, and want to leave the world a better place. However, Boomers expect to get what they want or they will go somewhere else. And, they are smart - most Boomers know when a company or “salesman” is trying to hustle them.  They tend to be savvy, street smart, fashion conscious, college educated, and great planners.

Keeping this history in mind, and the fact that Boomers are the highest spending population in the US, it is up to each Center to provide quality programming and services that are directed toward Boomers, while not alienating the older section.  This can be done by incorporating more educational lectures, arts, seminars on finances and retirement, driver’s safety programs, sports, and other areas of interest this active population may want.  Keep in mind their work schedule (as many still do work), and watch your words.  After all, who wants to be called “old” or a “senior citizen” – certainly not the children of the 1960’s!