Programs
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Overview
Intergenerational learning and collaboration is a unique approach to bridging the generational gap. Older adults and high school to university students will get a chance to create connections through shared experiences and projects. Older adults will play a vital role by sharing their wisdom and experiences, while students will gain valuable practical and emotional skills from working with the older generation, such as group co-leadership, self-confidence, and emotional maturity. ​
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Together-We-Empower is a semi-structured intergenerational program that offers resources and opportunities for older adults to connect and empower each other and with younger generations through creative and collaborative projects. In addition to Zoom sessions offering community-led discussions on pertinent issues, older adults will be able to work on various projects of their choice in groups or pairs to produce meaningful works of art/literature.
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All participants will have the chance to attend workshops, receive art kits, consult community artists, and learn about new mediums. Through the program, we will share knowledge and insights, centre personal development, and explore the concept of placemaking and its connection to wellbeing.
This flexible program allows you to choose the amount of interaction and commitment you are looking for. All program elements are FREE and optional. This program is designed for participation over the period from October 2020 - March 2021.
Who Should Join?
Youth (13-22) and older adults (55+) in all backgrounds and gender identities are invited to apply. The program is designed to bridge the gap between generations and facilitate the sharing of skills and knowledge to produce creative pieces that are meaningful to the participants and to the world. Whether it is visual art, music, or literature, the flexibility of the program ensures you can pursue something that interests you.
We are seeking people who are interested in developing the mindset and skills to address isolation during covid and community building through the arts and creative thinking. Ideal participants will possess:
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A passion and desire to learn about emerging local and global challenges and how to use the arts and creativity to solve issues
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An ability to quickly adapt and work in a resource-constrained environments
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Desire to engage in an interactive leadership development experience while applying creative solutions to deepen the impact.
Meet The Team
Keiko Honda, Ph.D., MPH
VACS Founder &
Executive Director
Lucas Lee
Writer-in-Residence
VACS Editor-in-Chief
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Marina Morrison
Artists-in-Residence
Content Creation &
​Curriculum Development
Sophia Bi
Artists-in-Residence
Communications &
External Relations
Chris Small
Staff Writer & Editor
About VACS
We strongly believe in art as a means of change. Art evokes empathy, and empathy leads to action. We recognize art as not just an abstract way to pursue aesthetic pleasure, but as a way to see oneself and the world differently. Through the Together We Empower program, VACS continues its mission in uniting and strengthening communities through art.
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As an essential part of this mission, we try to ensure that members of marginalized communities in Vancouver have access to cultural opportunities for artistic self-discovery. Our programs are heavily intergenerational and intercultural, and utilize untapped public and private spaces. The objective is to develop inclusive communities of cultural exchange with more culturally diverse points of view. We pursue this objective not only to expand the cultural resources of isolated groups, but to expand the cultural resources of local contemporary artists by giving them access to different ways of interpreting the world, enriching their creative process.
THANKS
We thank for the Government of Canada and the City of Vancouver for the funding and our community partners, UBC Faculty of Arts Internship, and Dunbar Community Centre for their support and collaboration.
VACS acknowledge that we live, work, and learn on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Coast Salish peoples.