“As we delve deeper and deeper in to the course I see how the condition of a community is not just important for the elderly but for all people within the community. We know that in order to have a healthy community we need to have a strong sense of unity and cooperation within the community.” – Student
For the second installment of the Through Their Eyes project, Pauli Gardner and her 37 students collaborated with 479 Carleton Street, a senior housing residence owned and managed by Niagara Regional Housing in St. Catharines. Students from Brock University partnered with seniors from the residence to gain a better understanding of what makes an age-friendly community through the eyes of the city’s “experts”–local senior residents.
Everyone Benefits from the Project
Findings Video
Community-Campus Event Gallery
Everyone Benefits and Learns from the Project!
As part of project tradition, the class, community partners, and seniors from 479 Carleton Street gathered at the end of the project to share the project findings and celebrate another successful year. At the community-campus event the teams reunited to exchange kind words and fond memories. There was a buzz of energy from all who attended, as the seniors read the handwritten letters from their student team partners, and students shared their experiences.
Pauli presented the semester’s preliminary findings to the students, seniors, and project partners, and the attendees had the honour of listening to a student share a passage from his reflection journal. The room filled with laughs and nods of understanding as he related his personal experiences to the course material and daily challenges of many seniors, with the occasional senior speaking up to share their own reflective thoughts.
It was an excellent event and people left feeling proud of the work they accomplished and happy they were able to make new friends. Also in attendance were representatives from Niagara Regional Housing; Niagara Region Public Health, Niagara Connects, and Niagara Age-friendly Network.
Video Presentation Summarizing Through Their Eyes Project Findings
Community-Campus Event Gallery
Some photos were taken throughout the duration of the community-campus event to document the spirit of the Through Their Eyes project. Many laughs and memories were shared during the celebration, take a look for yourself!