VRC launching livable income program

The Voluntary Resource Council (VRC) will begin a project called seniors promoting livable income on Thursday, Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This is the first of five training sessions for seniors which will be held each Thursday morning until Nov. 19.

There is no charge and lunch is provided.

To register, contact Sylvie Arsenault at 902-368-7337 or by email at vrc@eastlink.ca. The deadline for registration is Oct. 11.

The aim of the project is to prepare senior volunteers to encourage other seniors and soonto-be seniors in discovering the need for and benefits of basic livable income for their age group and others. It will examine the challenges and opportunities of adopting a program of basic income guarantee for P.E.I. as a model of how it can work in a full provincial jurisdiction.

The project will respond to seniors’ concerns about the level of poverty in P.E.I. and will address the evidence-based capacity of basic income guarantee as a long-term solution.

This program is led by seniors with experience in interactive learning processes. It will involve 10 to 12 seniors taking senior-directed training. Each week a knowledgeable senior will make a presentation on the session theme.

The themes will include methods used to engage seniors in basic income guarantee, introduction to basic income guarantee, the goal, how it works, the costs and the sources of revenue, the current basic human needs in P.E.I. based on market basket measure – a P.E.I. provincial model program and frequently asked questions about basic income guarantee.

Uponn completion of the training, the involved seniors (those who are able and willing) will then meet for two or three learning sessions to plan a symposium for seniors from the wider community on the topics that were discussed.

This will involve designing the program, organizing, advertising, recruiting participants and facilitating.

Seniors will act as mentors for other seniors by sharing their knowledge and practical suggestions for improved engagement around basic income.