New Elders’ program help bridge gap with younger generation

The staff and members of Edmonton’s Canadian Native Friendship Centre are celebrating the enhancement of the Elder’s programs.

“It will allow us to deliver more support services to Elders. We recently extended an open invitation to the Elders in urban Edmonton to a tea and bannock event so they could have a say in the programming and we had over 50 attend,” said Executive Director Adam North Peigan.

In the past, the centre had neither adequate human nor financial resources to carry out what CNFC felt were sufficient programs and services for their Elders.

Funding for the Elders program came through the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors, which was recently approved.

“We look at that as an indication that they are supportive of CNFC and that they are interested in receiving additional services,” said North Peigan.

With the additional resources, CNFC will hire a part-time staff member to facilitate the program. The funding will allow CNFC to develop and implement an Elders’ lounge and resource centre. Furniture was purchased as well as sewing machines so the seniors can participate in making various creative projects, a flat screen TV so they can enjoy social times while watching their favourite programs, host cribbage tournaments, and a laptop computer for their convenience has been added, making the area comfortable for the Elders to attend on a drop-in basis. The new area opened in May.

With summer just around the corner, North Peigan said there are plans to bring the student day camps together with the Elders.
“We want to maximize the knowledge and traditions of the Elders and integrate them with our youth programs,” he said. “They will act as mentors to the young people, taking them out for berry or sage picking, and other activities and the Elders would do some cultural teaching, spending the whole day together.”

If the weather is not conducive, the two groups will stay inside at the centre and do indoor activities such as beading. Bridging the gap between the generations is one of the goals at the centre.

North Peigan has been at the helm of the CNFC for two years and has spearheaded a return to a vital community presence and established a promise of a bright future. The centre has recently acquired its own building, which is undergoing renovations, a few blocks further east of its present location. The move is expected to occur in late summer or early fall and happen in phases.

“We’re excited about the location being much more convenient for our members. And it’s also closer to the neighbourhoods where a lot of Aboriginal families live, so we’re excited,” said North Peigan.