Suzanne Noble co-founded Advantages of Age and Startup School for Seniors.
One of the original ‘age disrupters,’ Advantages of Age is a social enterprise created to challenge the media narrative around ageing. We aim to improve the well-being and financial security of over 50s by delivering business courses such as Startup School for Seniors, our pro-ageing website, and facilitating social connections through our growing Facebook community. A community of writers, thinkers, and creative people of age, Advantages of Age hosts social activities, and its members regularly participate in festivals across London and elsewhere such as the Queens Park Festival, Stoke Newington Literary Festival, Byline Festival. We celebrate alternative narratives of age through creativity, querying, and rebelliousness. Our website features award-winning writers, poets alongside unpublished writers. It is a rich source of content and inspiration for older people struggling with identifying with the prevailing negative view of ageing. Our members lead by example and regularly come together in formal and informal settings, creating social connections and inspiring other members and the general public on what it means to be older.
Startup School for Seniors is the only eLearning programme specifically aimed at supporting those aged 50+ to take the first steps towards starting their own business. Working with local authorities and grant givers we have helped hundreds of older people to become self-employed. Our Facebook group members of 4k+ are a place to find a like-minded supportive community of those with a shared belief that getting older does not mean becoming invisible or inactive.
