A Brief Overview of the ILR Movement

A Day in the Life

Every Tuesday morning 35 people gather in a college classroom to study the writings of John Steinbeck. Every person in the room is of retirement age. The leader is a retired businessperson. The students have prepared well. The two-hour session is lively, full of discussion, controversy, humor, disagreement, insight and wisdom. When class ends, the talk spills out to the hallways, back to the office/lounge area, out to the parking lot.

The class is one of approximately 26 different programs offered by this college's ILR every term. Classes are offered almost every weekday and generally consist of between one and four sessions. There are no quizzes, grades or credits. Some are led on a volunteer basis by members of the ILR; others are taught by local college and university faculty or other community experts.

The ILR juggles scheduling to occupy classrooms assigned for daytime use at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, a new modern building that houses classrooms, computer labs, a library, small cafeteria, and meeting rooms. The part-time director occupies an office assigned by the University that serves as the group's headquarters.

The Rewards of Belonging

This ILR belongs to the more than 600 older learners who created it. They pay dues, elect officers, and work hard to provide stimulating educational opportunities for themselves and their peers in the community. Members also help with the typing, phone calls, and other office work.

A Brief History

This ILR is one of more than 220 in the United States and Canada - an organization of retirement age learners dedicated to meeting the educational interests of its members. It is part of a growing movement that is opening campuses across the continent to the experience and vitality of older people.

The first ILR was the Institute for Retired Professionals (IRP) established in 1962 at the New School in New York City. Throughout the 60's and 70's other colleges and universities replicated or adapted the IRP model. During the 1980's several national conferences exposed the concept to a wider audience and spurred the development of many more. Since the creation of the Elderhostel Institute Network in 1988, more than 220 new ILRs have been launched.

An Idea That Works Wonders

Growing older in North America today is characterized by rapid change. Stereotypes are being discarded, negative images are in transformation, older people are seizing greater control of their own destinies. New social inventions are now the expected, not the exception.

The ILR concept is just such an invention. Older adults care about education, they are intense and self-motivated learners, and they define their own educational experiences and enthusiasms. An ILR fosters and capitalizes on these strengths, empowering older people to continue learning, expand their horizons, and enhance their personal development.

The Challenge of Diversity

There is no one "model" for an ILR. ILRs are independent entities, each created by a unique group of people, sponsored by a host campus with its own special character and mission, and functioning in a particular community.

Yet amid this diversity two basic premises define an ILR:

Ownership: Learners develop their own college level educational programs; and

Community: Organizational structure distinguishes the ILR as an educational community of older learners.

ILRs typically share a set of common goals and characteristics:

Educational Purpose. College level course work usually on a non-credit basis.

Member Organization. Learners join ILRs. Organizational structures (by-laws, committees) create an entity with identity and purpose of its own.

Member Leadership. Members are involved in decision-making. In addition to determining curriculum, members may be active in recruiting new members, financing the ILR, and developing social programming.

Open Membership. ILRs encourage participation without regard to previous levels of formal education.

Co-Curricular Programming. ILRs are social places. Activities typically include social events, membership meetings, and field trips.

ILRs offer a unique educational opportunity in which peer learning, collaborative leadership, and active member participation are fundamental. The curriculum, chosen, designed, and often led by members, is at the core of each ILR. A commitment to learning is the common bond among the many thousands of energetic and enthusiastic ILR members.

A WORD ABOUT ELDERHOSTEL

Elderhostel is a national, nonprofit organization that offers short term educational adventures for people over 55. What began with a handful of New Hampshire colleges in the summer of 1975 has mushroomed to a diverse organization with year-round programs in every state, Canadian province, and 70+ foreign countries. In 1999, Elderhostel participants enrolled in over a quarter of a million programs with total program weeks exceeding 315,000.

The Institute Network is a partnership of Elderhostel and a number of individuals and campuses involved in the ILR movement. The Network draws on the complementary strengths of ILRs and Elderhostel. Both share the all-important goal of developing college level educational programs for retirement age people; both value the inherent strengths of older learners; and both foster the empowerment of people through education.A voluntary association of independent ILRs, the Network exists to extend the Institute concept to new people, campuses, and communities and to strengthen and support the effectiveness of established ILRs.