Call for Community Input on New Seniors Programs

Call for community input to a new grant-funded seniors’ project, Live Well, Stay Strong.

We are pleased to announce that the UNA has received funding under the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for our project Live Well, Stay Strong: Brain Wellness, Digital Literacy, and Physical Health. This federal grant and contribution program supports projects that are led or inspired by seniors who are making a difference in the lives of others in their communities.

The funding will be used to support activities in three focused areas of the Live Well, Stay Strong Project: brain health, technological skills, and physical fitness. The goal of the project is to reconnect with seniors, revive their strengths and invite them to rejoin community life.

We are calling for input from seniors in the UNA community to help plan project activities to be implemented in Fall 2022. We are looking for suggestions and ideas, but also for community members’ passions, talents and skills to help us run the activities.

Here are different ways that you can get involved in the planning process:

• Live Well, Stay Strong Project Virtual Workshop (Zoom)
  June 1, 2022, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Register Online
  Join us to brainstorm what activities will lead to a successful implementation of the Live Well, Stay Strong Project. What are the best ways to use the funding in the three focused areas? What skills and abilities do you have to help with this project?
• Live Well, Stay Strong Project Workshop (in person)
  June 15, 2022, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Register Online
  This session will be located in the Social Room at Wesbrook Community Centre. Lunch will be provided.  Join us to brainstorm what activities will lead to a successful implementation of the Live Well, Stay Strong Project. What are the best ways to use the funding in the three focused areas? What skills and abilities do you have to help with this project?
• Contact us by phone or email:
  Feel free to phone or email us if you are not able to attend the above workshops.
  • Kayla Kennedy
    Old Barn and Volunteer Coordinator (Interim)
    604-822-3262 | kayla.kennedy@myuna.ca
  • Qiuning Wang
    Assistant Recreation Manager
    604-822-3799 | qiuning.wang@myuna.ca

Thank you to the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for the funding support that has been provided to the UNA for the past few years. It has made a significant difference in the lives of seniors in our community. Here are some of the projects we have been able to run with their support:

• Your Passport to Wellbeing (September 2018 – March 2019)
  This project was designed to engage seniors in our community through structured activities and workshops that contributed to their overall wellbeing. The main objective of the project was for each senior to discover their own sense of wellbeing, while creating an inclusive seniors community by bridging cultures, languages, and experiences. This project helped us build a three-pilar framework that provides guidance to our seniors program development.
• Healthy Seniors, Resilient Community (April 2020 – March 2021)
  The funding from this project was directed towards providing immediate needs to seniors in the UNA community during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Two priorities were identified from the survey: digital learning and virtual recreation programs.  A Computer Specialist was hired to provide one-on-one coaching and group lessons. A range of virtual programs were developed to engage and support seniors throughout the pandemic.
• Bridging Digital Literacy and Healthy Aging (April 2021 – August 2022)
  This project creates opportunities for seniors to connect during COVID-19 through a hybrid programming model that includes both traditional in-person activities as well as virtual offerings. We are supporting seniors’ healthy aging, social interaction, intergenerational relationship building and digital literacy.
• Live Well, Stay Strong: Brain Wellness, Digital Literacy, and Physical Health (September 2022 – March 2023) 
  The purpose of this project is to revive the mental and physical strength of seniors in the UNA neighbourhoods as we transition into a new normal. It will provide help in coping with the sustained impact of the pandemic and prepare seniors to rejoin community life. This project focuses on three areas of support: brain health, technological skills, and physical fitness.

For more information, visit New Horizons for Seniors Program.