Faculty of Art
BRITANNIA COMMUNITY CENTRE
Project Title: Recommendations for an Intergenerational, Interconnected, and Intercultural Elder-in-Residence Program
During this past 2023-24 academic year Winter session, I had the great opportunity of being a part of the FNIS 400 Research practicum cohort supervised by Dr. David Gaertner and TA Lilith Charlet. I was partnered with the Britannia Community Centre, located in East Vancouver, to help create a tangible and comprehensive case study report for a prospective Elders-In-Residence program. Over nine months, I collected data on already established Elders-In-Residence programs located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and beyond. This process was followed by community engagement, in the form of three sharing circles and one interview totalling feedback from 28 people apart of the Britannia cache. Under the guidance of my teaching and organization team, in addition to my peers, I was supported in leading Indigenous-centred research with the primary goal being to serve the community with their wants and wishes. I was able to use Indigenous methodologies, where each of my sharing circles had a meal, water/tea, and a gift in exchange for the knowledge they shared to help the creation of an EIR program. We sat in a circle, talking over a mutual activity, with people ranging in age. In addition to youth 18+, adults, and Elders there were also babies and non-human kin present, bringing together the essence of community. Everyone was so supportive in this journey and a full circle moment for me – as my family accessed the Britannia Centre services in the form of graduating from the highschool and attending community events. I was offered the opportunity to give back, and I took it. I am delighted to be able to continue my relationship with Britannia working with them over the summer to help create job postings for the Elders-In-Residence program based on my practicum research. Tsiikaahsi’tsihp nito’toohs (I am happy to be here).