
February 27, 2018 · 0 Comments
By Mike Pickford
Dufferin-Caledon MP David Tilson was in attendance as members of the Dufferin Arts Group revealed it had secured federal funding to continue a seniors’ writing program in the community.
The group gathered at the Grant Evans Education Centre in Orangeville on Feb. 8 to celebrate the $25,000 federal grant, awarded under the New Horizons for Seniors program. A big success here in Dufferin County, the Multicultural Intergenerational Writing Program seeks to engage and bring together senior members of the Dufferin Arts Council and other local seniors with Grade 7 and 8 students in the community. The main aim of the program is for seniors to share their culture and personal stories, from both the past and present, with the students.
Meetings between the small student groups and the seniors will concentrate on various literary skills, such as writing, editing, interviewing, discussions, composition and sharing. The students collect the information over the course of six weeks and then create a memory album for their senior partner. Both the students and seniors learn about different cultures and life experiences through the process, while also giving youth a chance to see what life was like in the past.
“My compliments to the Dufferin Arts Council for their continuation of this creative initiative,” Mr. Tilson said. “The New Horizons for Seniors Program has been very successful for a number of organizations in Dufferin-Caledon. I hope others who serve our seniors will make use of the program.”
Mr. Tilson shared that other organizations that want to help seniors make a difference in the lives of others and in their communities may be eligible to receive a funding contribution from the federal government. Projects must be led or inspired by seniors and address one or more of five program objectives: promoting volunteerism among seniors and other generations, engaging seniors in the community through the mentoring of others, expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse, supporting the social participation and inclusion of seniors, and providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors.
For more information, visit www.canada.ca and search ‘New Horizons for Seniors Program’.