International Longevity Day, October 1st
Members of the International Longevity Alliance, an advocacy and political action group supportive of modern work on longevity science such as that carried out in the SENS program, are proposing October 1st to be International Longevity Day. This is a way to place the goal of extending healthy human life through medical science into the public eye for one more day each year, and as a methodology for doing so it seems fairly reliable if it can get a little impetus behind it:
Some time ago the idea was raised to celebrate a special day by the longevity movement - the Longevity Day. Now an excellent opportunity to do this is coming -the 1st of October, the official United Nations International Day of Older Persons. Let us make the Longevity Day on that day - the 1st of October this year! Let us hold meetings and other events globally!The day is especially significant as, on that day, we have an excellent opportunity to link in the public mind the issue of aging with the issue of anti-aging research that is probably the only means to truly address and ameliorate the problem of aging. Nowadays, the issues of aging and anti-aging are often considered separately. We can change this pattern of thought and say on that day: deteriorative aging is a problem, and anti-aging research for healthy longevity can provide the solution!
Organize pro-longevity meetings in your area! There is a precedent. On March 1 this year, meetings in support of longevity and longevity research have been held in over 20 countries. We can organize more meetings in more countries now. The range of the meetings (conferences/ seminars/ study groups/ public demonstrations) can range from large scale, to just meeting with a few friends. Every kind and scope of activity is precious.
Engage mainstream public media! The fact that this is an official international UN day of older persons, and the fact that such pro-longevity events are being organized all across the world - gives you an excellent opportunity to directly approach representatives of public media and offer them to cover the topic. This is an opportunity that should not be missed. In the same way, you can approach politicians, public officials and other decision makers in your area. Point them to that day and the international organization around it, and attempt to raise their interest in the issue of longevity research.
It is a good way to educate people to this issue.