Help the Aged has launched 'The World of the Future', a viral film to support its campaign to end age discrimination.

The campaign will be promoted via media and viral channels such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace over the next six weeks and be complemented by continued issues-based PR and editorial in regional and national press.  A complementary publication titled ‘Worth Fighting For’ (see below) has also been produced, which brings together a selection of personal stories from older people affected by age discrimination, including some for whom ageist assumptions and practices have literally almost meant the difference between life and death.

'It mocks out-of-touch and unacceptable perceptions of sexism and racism and contrasts this to 2008 – a time ‘in the future’ when discrimination based on age is still acceptable and perfectly legal.'

Yvette Templar, Head of Campaigns at Help the Aged comments: 'The next few weeks will be a pivotal time for the ‘Just Equal Treatment’ campaign in the lead up to the announcement of the anticipated Equality Bill.  Help the Aged will continue to challenge the Government to heed public opinion and outlaw ageism now.

'Our own research has revealed that two thirds of GB adults of all ages (67 per cent) think the present Government is not taking older people seriously, with fully three-quarters (74 per cent) of older people themselves believing the Government isn’t responding to their needs.  This evidence shows the Gordon Brown’s Government must act now to end the scourge of age discrimination in all walks of life.'

In his 2007 Labour Party Conference speech the Prime Minister called for ‘No discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, age, or faith.’ The Charity’s ‘Just Equal Treatment’ campaign is demanding this become a reality.  The end-frame of the viral calls for viewers to support the call to ‘Live in the 21st Century’ and ‘Help Make Age Discrimination Illegal.’

‘Worth Fighting For’ - publication