The Grey Board Concept
What:
A notice board placed at a prominent location (approx. 1500 x 100) where seniors and others can place notes or information about things that they want to communicate to other seniors.
Eg. Something a senior wants to sell or buy, something they want to give away, something they are looking for, help they need, a group or activity they want others to know about etc. Anything.
To add value to the board, other “interesting” material could be included. Material such as jokes, sayings, nostalgia, tips etc. Anything that will cause people to glance at board more than they might otherwise.
Where:
Placed in an appropriate location such as a shopping centre.
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Who:
Set up and promoted for seniors, but obviously others will use it.
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Why:
To add another area of interest and activity for seniors. To further connect seniors, albeit in a small way, as they communicate over things appearing on the board. Any connection between seniors reduces the impacts of loneliness, isolation, depression etc.
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How it operates:
Seniors are invited to create and drop off notices for the board.
Each board has simple instructions adjacent to it on how to use it.
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Suggested wording:
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ABOUT THE GREY BOARD
Seniors are invited to provide notes to feature on the Grey Board. These could be to buy, sell, give away or secure items, publicise seniors’ activities or support groups, and more. Notes can be dropped off at the service desk at any time to be added to the board.
The Grey Board will be updated regularly to keep notes are current.
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Promotion:
The concept lends itself to a variety of publicity options through various media channels, and on an ongoing basis.
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Commercial benefits:
With the right publicity and promotion, the Grey Board could become a regular ‘go to’ spot for many seniors each week. This could also benefit the centre if the board gained a following and drew more visitors to the centre.
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One obvious question:
Notice boards in shopping centres are not new, and hardly get people excited. Why would the Grey Board be any different?
For the same reason that anything catches on or comes into vogue. Marketing, promotion, publicity and creativity!