City of Brantford is inviting youth, up to the age of 29, to learn skills from older adults, including: jewelry making, hand sewing, painting, pottery, minor household repairs, knitting, basic kitchen skills, cursive writing, how to write a cheque, and more at the free Bridging the Gap Skills Fair on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
Attendees will have the opportunity to attend booths, participate in the demonstrations, and engage with the older adults demonstrating the skills, which will take place from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Community Living Brant.
“As a partner, I’m really looking forward to showing youth how to thread a needle and sew on a button at the Bridging the Gap Skills Fair,” said Lucy Marco, Executive Director of the Grand River Council on Aging. “I’ve also enjoyed talking to other older adults about the skills they have to share with youth.”
Drop-in on the day of the event is welcome, but supplies will be limited. Children and youth under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian. Snacks and light refreshments will be available on a first come, first serve basis. To register for the event, visit bit.ly/BTGSkillsFair.
Bridging the Gap is an intergenerational skill-sharing pilot project funded by the Ontario Seniors Community Grant that supports the City’s Age-Friendly Strategy and Empowering Youth Strategy. Since August 2023, this project has offered opportunities for local older adult participants (age 55+) to share their skills with youth across the City of Brantford. Past programs have included workshops on pickleball, bike repair, creative writing, 3D printing, woodworking, knitting, pottery, and more. To date, 20 older adults have volunteered to share their skills by hosting workshops and programs that were attended by over 200 youth.
