Over the past several years, there has been a high demand for help and companionship from seniors, and low interest from youth. Fostering a connection between the youth and seniors to diminish the intergenerational gap as well as mitigate senior isolation has never been more crucial. It is imperative to form connections with seniors in order to recognize all that they paved for us and our futures and to absorb their knowledge, wisdom, and culture to pass it down to future generations.

 

The rates of population increments regarding the number of seniors in Canada have increased tenfold and have overtaken the current population increments at which birthing occurs. This means the number of seniors will overtake the younger populations swiftly. We have created this program to raise more awareness in order to solve this issue. Every individual will succumb to aging and will eventually become a senior one day. We want this program to help youth realize the importance of listening to, respecting, and including seniors.

 

There was one specific occurrence from our Cross-Canada tour that solidified how important our work is. During an event Love Caravan hosted in Toronto, there was one senior who stayed behind after the event has ended. She insisted on hugging each and every person from our organization that helped with the event. When asked about the reasons behind her actions, she said that it was because she was extremely happy. No one had visited her in over two years - our organization and its volunteers were the first to do so. She felt so grateful that someone came and interacted with her.

 

That moment has stuck with us through all this time. Our work is important, appreciated   and pertains to issues that urgently require social attention and restorative action. An overwhelming amount of seniors face isolation and I truly hope that we are all able to come together as a community to focus on diminishing the intergenerational gap, facilitating diversity, and encouraging youth development.