Creativity and Senior's Engagement
In a society that places such high currency on youth, it can be easy to overlook the valuable contributions that seniors are capable of offering us.
We can forget they are our most important connection to history... they have lived through experiences that we can only try to imagine... they have reservoirs of creative potential... and can help us to see the world in a richer light.
That's why we initiated the "Across the Lines" project... We wanted to give participants the opportunity to share their stories and creative expression with us.
We hope that more residential care facilities will offer their residents greater opportunities to explore their creative potential.
We can forget they are our most important connection to history... they have lived through experiences that we can only try to imagine... they have reservoirs of creative potential... and can help us to see the world in a richer light.
That's why we initiated the "Across the Lines" project... We wanted to give participants the opportunity to share their stories and creative expression with us.
We hope that more residential care facilities will offer their residents greater opportunities to explore their creative potential.
The "Across the Lines" Team
"Across the Lines" would not have been possible without the vision and hard work of some incredibly motivated individuals. Here are the key players who helped this project come to life.
Bruce Devereux, Recreation & Volunteer Manager,
Good Samaritan Christenson Village, Gibsons, BC
Bruce Devereux has worked with the residents at Good Samaritan Christenson Village since its opening in 2006. During that time, he has learned the importance of providing the residents with creative activities that spark their minds and feed their souls.
"When an individual is given the opportunity to create music, art, or engage in storytelling, a new learning process begins," Bruce says. "Through their creative engagement they are provided the opportunity for accomplishment and achievement, and recognition from their peers. Potentially leading to a feeling of increased self worth. Care and creativity truly go hand in hand."
To contact Bruce, please email christensonvillage@mac.com
Bruce Devereux, Recreation & Volunteer Manager,
Good Samaritan Christenson Village, Gibsons, BC
Bruce Devereux has worked with the residents at Good Samaritan Christenson Village since its opening in 2006. During that time, he has learned the importance of providing the residents with creative activities that spark their minds and feed their souls.
"When an individual is given the opportunity to create music, art, or engage in storytelling, a new learning process begins," Bruce says. "Through their creative engagement they are provided the opportunity for accomplishment and achievement, and recognition from their peers. Potentially leading to a feeling of increased self worth. Care and creativity truly go hand in hand."
To contact Bruce, please email christensonvillage@mac.com
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Steve Wright, Musician and Teacher
Steve Wright is a musician, songwriter, performer and educator. He has worked with groups with diverse styles ranging from indie punk, electronic noise, and acoustic ensembles and currently works as a sound and music workshop instructor as well as a sound artist for radio and dance. "I wanted to be involved in the 'Across the Lines' project because I believe that storytelling and music are two of the most powerful tools of expression we have available to us, " Steve says. "It doesn't matter if you're very young or very old -- when you express yourself creatively, you're tapping into something inside yourself that's very profound. It connects you more to yourself and to the people around you, and that's something that everyone benefits from." Steve worked with a group of local Sunshine Coast musicians to create an original score that incorporated the music made by participants and acts as a backdrop to their spoken word stories and quotes on "Across the Lines." To contact Steve, please email thesoundspace@gmail.com |
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