Sharing talent
Program looking for seniors to serve as mentors for peers
A group in Sydney is reaching out to seniors who may be willing to share their talents with others by acting as mentors for their peers.
Every Woman’s Centre has obtained funding to support the project, which would see seniors volunteer their time and skills to lead some sessions that could be both informative and fun.
“Right now we’re putting the word out there, people may call the centre and over the last couple of days we end up talking about this because I realize, ‘Oh my goodness, they sound like somebody I’m looking for,’” the centre’s Wanda Earhart said.
Sessions could include education, fitness or yoga, reducing clutter, cultural awareness, language, safety concerns, estate planning, drama therapy, as well as cultural outings around Cape Breton.
“They may be a retired teacher or they may be a retired professional or have a passion for a discipline, whether it’s something as simple as a craft to a topic that they really are interested in and have spent time working with and they want to share that,” Earhart said.
She noted that it doesn’t have to represent a major time commitment on the part of a volunteer, it may simply be a matter of planning and then leading a single session for the year-long project. That would become clearer after setting up a meeting to discuss what they are able to contribute to the program, Earhart said.
One area she hopes the program will address is working and talking with youth.
“We want to get a group of seniors together with a group of youth and share their experiences, have the youth ask them questions, the back and forth, that kind of thing and educate each other, and it creates that bridge between seniors and youth,” she said. “In today’s world, I think that’s pretty important to have people share what they’ve been through and offer advice about how to get along in the world.”
Anyone wanting more information or to provide some input into the project can contact Earhart at wandaearhart.swcproject@gmail. com or by phone at 902-567-1212.