DiscoverE’s Future City® Competition is a non-profit educational program that asks middle school students to imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Participating STEM teams across the country compete once a year in a regional competition in January. Finalists then proceed to present their projects at the National Competition during National Engineers Week in February in Washington, D.C.

48 teams will be competing in the Philadelphia Regional Competition on January 20, 2018. The theme of this year’s competition is “The Age-Friendly City,” and students will be showcasing their age-friendly table models to Special Awards Judges in the morning and presenting to a panel of 4 Finals Judges in the afternoon. The effort of amazing and dedicated volunteers makes Future City Philadelphia a success each year.

Competition support on the day of the event is very valuable to the teams, judges, and organizers. It’s truly a unique opportunity to participate in such a positive event surrounded by fresh ideas (read this post from one of last year’s APA volunteers: https://apapase.org/?p=2862). We encourage our members to sign up as volunteers for this great program.

Please sign up to volunteer here, whether judging your special award or signing up for other roles. Select “General Volunteer” if you wish to provide competition day support with any task needed. You will receive information, directions, and other details regarding your role when you arrive at the competition from the volunteer coordinator or model/presentation judging coordinator. Almost all volunteer roles are needed only in the morning.

WHEN:                 Saturday, January 20, 2018

8:45 AM — Opening Announcement

9:00 to 12:00 PM — Preliminary judging; special awards evaluation

1:15 PM — Announcement of Finalists

1:30 to 3:30 PM — Final judging (oral presentations, questions from judges)

3:30 to 4:30 PM — Awards ceremony and announcement of regional winning teams

WHERE:               Archbishop Carroll High School

                            211 Matsonford Road, Radnor, PA 19087

by Laura Poskin

This is the first installment in a three-part series on designing age-friendly communities.

Communities should work for everyone.

Our parks and sidewalks should suit young moms and dads, as well as their kids, parents, grandparents and—as we live longer— great grandparents. Likewise, everyone should be able to enjoy environments that make a community feel like home and provide opportunities to learn, to make a difference, and to connect with friends, old and new.

But if we pause to look around, our cities and towns aren’t built for us to fully engage with life throughout our lives. Crossing the street or finding a part-time job, for example, may be exponentially more difficult for an 82-year-old than a 28-year-old.

That’s where the age-friendly movement comes in. Started by the World Health Organization and led by AARP in the United States, it inspires us to see this inequality as a social justice and sustainability issue, and rethink how to welcome every generation into the fold.

Read more