‘Perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at the limitations of our current school model, and expand the demographically narrow mission of these public schools’
The first line in Zal and Rosenbaum’s article reads ‘seniors in Canada – those 65 and older – now outnumber those 14 or younger’. Writing from a Montreal-centric perspective, they point out that the repercussion of this demographic shift has been the closing of public schools. However, the authors argue that it is time to shift away from institutions, like schools, that have traditionally segregated people of different ages. Instead we should be opening intergenerational community learning centres. In fact the authors themselves are research partners with a 47 year age difference between them and part of the ‘Older Adulthood’ course at Concordia University. They outline the benefits of these programs to young people (‘increased self-confidence, better school results and less loneliness and isolation’) and seniors (‘increased self-esteem and motivation, more vitality and increase ability to cope with the challenges of aging’). Moreover, intergenerational community learning centres help stop ageist stereotypes and create a shared sense of community. This article cites a few examples of these centres in both Montreal and North America at large.
Rosenbaum, D. & S. Zal (2017, January) Intergenerational community learning centres would benefit old & young. Montreal Gazette, 1 – 7. Retrieved from http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-intergenerational-community-learning-centres-would-benefit-old-and-young
