Redefining Longevity: Social Connection, Innovation, and the Power of Care

Happy New Month! Each month, we share highlights on how innovations and changemakers are shaping society for New Longevity.

• Social health took center stage at SXSW 2025, with expert Kasley Killam, MPH , and The Art and Science of Connection, spotlighting the urgent need for meaningful human connections in an era of rising loneliness. With 24% of people feeling isolated—raising risks of stroke and dementia—Killam stressed the importance of “social fitness,” a proactive approach to building strong, intentional relationships. Watch now (Available in English). The latest World Happiness Report 2025 reinforces the power of social connections, revealing that strong social ties- through family interactions, communal activities like shared meals, and participation in prosocial behaviors- are vital components of happiness and well-being.

• Social prescribing is gaining momentum as a way to tackle loneliness, chronic disease, and mental health challenges. In A Path Toward Universal Social Prescribing in the United States , Alan Siegel, M.D. and Carla Perissinotto highlights efforts to integrate non-clinical solutions into healthcare. Programs like the Compassionate Contact Corps and Project Connection link patients to arts, nature, and volunteerism. Similarly, in the U.K., Ashoka Fellow Mark Swift's Wellbeing Enterprises CIC is embedding social prescribing into healthcare, training professionals, and expanding access to wellbeing activities.Read more.

• Multigenerational living is gaining traction as a solution to rising housing costs, caregiving demands, and retirement security. In Forbes , Dr. Joe Coughlin's article Savings and Care Get Easier With Parents and Grandparents Under One Roof explores how six million multigenerational homes in the U.S. are reshaping housing markets and family dynamics. In Spain, Eduardo Fierro Carballo's Kuvu is tackling similar challenges by fostering intergenerational co-living—reducing loneliness among older adults while providing young people with affordable housing.

• Innovative care models are reshaping the future of work and well-being. Care Blocks, a community-based approach piloted in Bogotá, Colombia, integrates childcare, eldercare, and essential services to support working families—especially women. A new white paper by the Global Future Council on the Future of the Care Economy, featured by the World Economic Forum , urges global leaders to invest in care as a driver of prosperity. Ashoka Fellows Ai-jen Poo and Anil Patil are also leading this shift. Ai-jen organizes U.S. domestic workers through the National Domestic Workers Alliance, securing fair pay and protections. Anil champions unpaid carers in developing countries through Carers Worldwide, ensuring social security, skills training, and policy reforms.Learn more.

• Forget everything you thought you knew about retirement. At Mirabella at ASU , Lindsey Beagley is integrating adults 55+ into campus life at Arizona State University . As the world’s only university-based retirement community located directly on a college campus, Mirabella offers residents the chance to audit classes, mentor students, and engage in cultural and academic life. This model proves that education doesn’t have an age limit—learning, growth, and intergenerational exchange can continue for a lifetime, enriching both individuals and the broader community. Learn more.

• Brazilian beauty company, Grupo Boticário, has launched the Women's Research Center, pioneering initiative dedicated to scientific studies on women’s well-being and care across all stages of life. The center aims to bridge the historical gap in science, which has traditionally prioritized male bodies in research, to drive significant advancements in understanding women's unique characteristics. Learn more . This month, Grupo Boticário also became the first Brazilian beauty company to be recognized as a Certified Age Friendly Employer (CAFE) by the Age Friendly Institute, represented in Brazil by Maturi. It now joins a select group of just 14 certified companies nationwide. In Colombia, the CAFE program is represented by Ashoka Fellow Catalina Castellanos and her organization, working to promote age-inclusive employment practices across the country.

Sparks of Inspiration

• Brief But Spectacular a series produced by our partner Second Peninsula spotlights Italian Ashoka Fellow Riccarda Zezza and her bold challenge to outdated workplace norms. Founder of Lifeed , Riccarda shares how experiences like motherhood builds adaptability, empathy, resilience, and leadership, making it an asset, not a setback. Watch now.

• In Welcome Change: Lifelong Gift of Giving, Ashoka Fellow Anshu Gupta , founder of Goonj in India, talks about the power of lifelong commitment to changemaking. Listen in.

• On the Possible podcast, Dana A. Griffin ,CEO of Eldera shares how AI-powered mentorship can leverage wisdom as a powerful tool for lifelong learning and meaningful connection.

"The generations to come will face many of the same issues that older people face today, as well as a few we probably can't anticipate. By creating a better society for older people now, we are laying the foundation for a better future for younger people." – Debra Whitman, Author of The Second Fifty

• Ashoka is actively seeking exceptional social innovators who are driving systems change in New Longevity. New Longevity is about healthy living, lifelong contribution, lifelong learning, caregiving, intergenerational connection, and transforming the narrative around aging. These changemakers are reshaping our world as we age.  Do you know someone transforming how we live and age? Nominate an Ashoka Fellow today!

Your Turn

How are you seeing 60+ as an untapped, growing asset for humanity? Share your thoughts!