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Our Mission

Create a stronger sense of identity and belonging across generations in our community.

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Our Goals

- Create opportunities for children and older adults to build reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationships across cultures and generations

- Combat issues that older adults living in residential care face such as loneliness and isolation

- Encourage students to develop empathy, compassion and inclusivity for people who are different from themselves

- Contribute to older adults’ and children’s feelings of connection and purpose

- Promote the benefits of intergenerational relationships and community building

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What We Do

When I Grow Young connects elementary school classrooms with residential care centres in their neighbourhood. These two communities normally would not have the opportunity to interact in meaningful ways, even though they live so close and are a part of the same neighbourhood. Prior to the first visit, students are given an orientation on what to expect from the grand buddy visits. Students then walk over to the care home once a month to spend an hour with the seniors, doing activities such as colouring, drawing, reading, and playing board games. Through repeat visits, the children and seniors have a chance to build meaningful relationships and share stories and knowledge across generations and cultures.

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