By Leea Rebeca Ruta – Graphics Editor

In early April, I, a fourth-year liberal arts student,  began my association with the recently established Experiential Learning Office at Bishop’s University. After a few meetings with Bassam Chiblak, experiential learning coordinator in arts, I was put in contact with Jan Draper, retired Champlain professor and project coordinator of Write Here, Write Now for BU’s Lifelong Learning Academy. From there, I became the organizer of an experiential learning pilot project for the spring of 2023. 

The goal was simple: chat with senior residents at Grace Village, a retirement home in Lennoxville, collect positive memories of their lives and turn these recollections into artistic expressions as an antidote to the quarantine period of recent years.

I eventually partnered with Vimean Vong, a third-year psychology student, and Jasmine Piché, a fourth-year psychology student, who helped me collect the oral histories of sixteen residents, which we turned into personalized poems and visual media, such as paintings and photographs. We eventually compiled everything we had developed into a booklet and on June 1, 2023, we held a live poetry reading at Grace Village in front of the residents. Kelly Gillis, the experiential learning coordinator in science, attended the event. 

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Everyone loved it, and many tears were shed.  It was an afternoon filled with emotion. 

As people who had never worked with seniors before, this was a new experience for the other students and I. We learned to be patient and humble, and we were reminded to cherish the simple things in life and to value each day. 

Vimean Vong shared a few words about his experience: “Before going to (Grace Village), I gave myself the challenge to come out of my comfort zone by participating in a new project. My main goal was to immerse myself (and) understand what the residents were going through daily. They feel lonely sometimes. I came to realize that each time I visited them, it made their day a little better. It meant the world to me.”

Jan Draper also had a few words to say about mentoring the students: “Before I met Leea, Vimean and Jasmine, I wondered how they would respond to the residents at Grace Village and how effective they would be at organizing, interviewing and so on. No worry was necessary. All three established a positive rapport with the residents right away. Their interest was piqued, and the interviews were enjoyable for both. They were happy to share their memories, which were well-recorded, and the gala (was) a unique celebration. When I go to Grace Village to visit, people ask me about Leea, Vimean, and Jas. They will be remembered for a long time.”

Despite the physical and cognitive challenges faced by participants, some of whom were over 90 years old, they had great memories of their lives to share. Sadly, one of the realities of working with the elderly is accepting that their remaining time on earth is very limited. Indeed, not long after the event, two participants passed away. 

We hope that BU can forge stronger ties with the Grace Village community to continue this intergenerational exchange of knowledge and stories. Many valuable lessons were learned, something that we will cherish forever. 

A big thank you to Sandra Klinck and Danielle Robertson at Grace Village, who have facilitated the organization of the project.