Location: Westport, Ontario
Community Partner: Westport Senior Living
School Partner: St. Edward's Catholic School
Classroom Teacher: Angela Pierman
GrandPals Coordinator: Judy Fielding
In Class Support: Sue Villeneuve
Orientation Support: Sue Todd
Photo Credit: Marc Latonio
Originally published in the Review-Mirror by Suesan Saville. Shared here with permission to help document the growing impact of intergenerational storytelling and mentorship through the GrandPals program in communities across Canada.
I'm sitting on a small chair and feeling like a kid again, listening to Ken Rose tell a story to a small group of students clustered around a low table at St. Edward's School in Westport. Ken leans in and so do the kids. He knows how to tell a great story.
This one is a true tale of misadventure when he and his brother climbed a smouldering volcano in South America: what went wrong, how he nearly died, and how he lived to tell the tale. He was 25 years old. He's now 75.
"I could have lost my life 50 years ago. So every day after that is sort of a gift."
His message to the kids: You can't control everything but be careful out there. Life is precious.
Ken is a GrandPal, along with Judy Fielding, Diana Bothwell, Betty Jo MacDougall, Steve Fultz, Sue Villeneuve and Antony Powell.
Westport Senior Living and St. Edward's partnered to bring the GrandPals program to Westport. Fifteen students from Grades 6 to 8 are participating. They are matched to a GrandPal after an initial meet-and-greet. Their teacher is Angela Pierman.
GrandPals grew out of an initiative by a public school in Orangeville, Ontario, in 2010 when teachers paired students with older adults at a local retirement home with the goal of character building. Four years ago, one of the founding teachers, Marc Mailhot, began promoting the program to communities across the country. GrandPals believes creating meaningful connections between seniors and youth builds community more broadly.
Storytelling is central to the program and a way to engage students in conversation and reflection. For the seniors volunteering to be a GrandPal, figuring out how to tell their own life story is a big part of it.
The GrandPals attended three orientation sessions with former teacher Sue Todd, to go through a binder full of worksheets prior to meeting the students for the first time at the end of March. The exercises helped them to reflect on their life experiences, decisions they made, changes they went through, and perspectives they gained.
It also helped them think about the elements that make for a good story: how you felt, an unexpected turn of events, what you learned in the end.
This is Week 6 of the program, and the theme is travel. When I sit down to eavesdrop on Betty Jo's table, she is racing to catch up with her family, who are hiking up an active volcano in New Zealand.
Coincidentally, Steve brought photo albums to show the kids at his table the magnificent view he had of Mount Baker, another active volcano, from his apartment window in Abbotsford, B.C.
Angela prepares for and reviews each session with her students. She remembers growing up listening to adults reminiscing about things they'd been through. She believes words can shape you.
"Even if it's just one thing that they take from their GrandPal, it is something that is going to resonate for the rest of their lives."
A lot of the stories, she said, are about resilience.
There are surprises, too, that underscore differences between the generations. Sue V. brought an atlas to her table to trace her travels. One of her students said it was the first time they had ever seen one. We forget how times and tools change.
Earlier sessions delved into stories of home, family, learning and work. There are 10 sessions in all. The students, in turn, write stories of what they have heard and reflect on what it means in their own lives.
That isn't easy either. Have you ever tried to tell someone a great story you just heard?
Some students are translating what they hear into drawings as well.
The students will share their stories at a school assembly at the end of the program. There is also a celebration planned at The Cove at the end of May that the public will be invited to attend. It has been a satisfying experience for both young and old.
"Younger generations, at the end, really get to know the GrandPal. It's fun doing something like this. I would do this more probably, if I could."
— Sam Cowan, Student Participant
Diana, a former teacher and vice-principal, said she also wanted to get to know the kids better.
"So every time I told something about myself, I gave them a chance to give me something about themselves."
She said it has been one of the most valuable programs she's ever been involved in.
Ken, too, said he appreciates being a GrandPal "more than I ever imagined." By the third session, his students were opening up and telling him their feelings on the world, their future and their fears.
"I hope I can give these kids hope."
He told them the world has always been challenging. He chose to be a force for good.
"Hopefully that positivity helps me, those around me and my community."
When one of his students asked if he had grandkids — he doesn't — the response was immediate:
"We can be your grandchildren!"
He says he gets emotional just telling me that.
"I think, well, that's a great story. Now let me see if I can figure out how to tell it."
About GrandPals
GrandPals is an intergenerational storytelling and mentorship initiative that connects older adults and students through meaningful community-based programming.
Through weekly conversations centered around themes such as home, family, learning, work, and travel, students develop empathy, listening skills, literacy, and deeper connections with older generations — while older adults are given meaningful opportunities to share stories, wisdom, and life experiences.
Learn more at grandpals.app