Age Friendly Berkshires Standing Committees & their Roles
Age Friendly Berkshires (AFB) mission is to create a more livable community for all ages. AFB Task Force (Partner Organizations) collectively agree to work together toward this goal, by adopting a common set of goals, aligning their individual efforts, communicating continuously with one another and using common measures of success. Here are the roles of each of the active, standing Committees for Age Friendly Berkshires.
Steering Committee
- Comprised of a sub-set of the larger Task Force Partners group
- Provides strategic direction toward the desired regional agenda
- Identifies goals and priorities
- Determines metrics/measurements; identifies change needed in response to data
- Identifies/helps actualize grant opportunities
- Communicates continuously to sustain and bolster AFB via AFB Website and other media outlets
- Regularly considers and adjusts strategy to enhance sustainability
Task Force Partners
- Regional representation across 8 Areas of Livability
- Identifies/ratifies a set of common goals/priorities
- Aligns their own organization’s work to the common goals
- Implements a share of the work to achieve goals; convenes working groups or sub-groups; and/or initiates projects based on Action Plan priorities
- Collects, shares and learns from data; adapts direction
- Recruits and teams up with additional partners and funders
- Communicates continuously to sustain and bolster AFB
Livability Subcommittees
- Formed around specific elements of the Action Plan, on an “as-needed” basis
- Collect, share and learn from specific data within Areas of Livability
- Design, align and implement a set of related strategies
- Formal or informal, as needed
Age Friendly Community Advocates
- Individuals who will be personally affected by the Age friendly Actions
- Bring pertinent issues, projects or developments in their communities to Steering Committee & Task Force
- Actively engage and inform others about Age Friendly Berkshires
- Champion the effort in their own communities
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission/Backbone Organization
- Provides dedicated staff
- Fosters cross-sector communication, alignment and collaboration necessary to achieve sustained, regional-level change
- Does not set the initiative’s agenda, nor independently determine solutions
- Receives and garners funding to operate, but also directs funding toward implementation, communication, innovation, advocacy or other necessary activities