Staff, volunteers and participants in a groundbreaking intergenerational program being supported by the Williams Lake Seniors Village.
Over the past three years, the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) has been promoting the development of intergenerational projects across the province. There is a growing body of research pointing to the health care and quality of life benefits for both the seniors and the youth participating in these grassroots, community based programs.
In 2008 and 2009, BCCPA worked with educators and care providers across the province to develop a guide for communities interested in developing inter-generational programs. Since then BCCPA has also encouraged the federal government to provide funding to expand these programs through their national New Horizons fund - with success.
A call for proposals was issued last fall and projects across the country are expected to be announced later this year. But care providers and educators are not waiting - and the media is starting to notice.
A national article in the Globe and Mail profiled an innovative program that Invermere's Columbia Garden Valley retirement home has developed that puts a kindergarten in a seniors' home for two days a week. One 84 year old resident in the article said she was surprised the kids wanted to spend time with the seniors but the class's teacher said, "They're just completely accepting of each other. It makes for a million magic moments."
