Nelson Star, July 30, 2020 by Black Press Media Group

A18 Thursday, July 30, 2020

Nelson Star

www.nelsonstar.com

Community

Nelson seniors and youth connect through photography by BILL METCALFE

Seniors and teenagers have more in common than they think. That’s one of Mike Stolte’s conclusions after the completion of his CLICK project, which brought a Grade 10 English class together with a group of people from their grandparents’ generation. The project involved a mix of photography and cross-generational discussions. “CLICK is the sound of a camera shutter releasing,” Stolte says. “It’s also that warm feeling you get when people truly connect. That’s what people are often missing in their lives in an age where communication technology can often isolate.” Stolte has just created a video documenting the two seven-week projects from the spring and fall of 2019, a collaboration between Kalein Hospice and L.V. Rogers Secondary. In the first session, Stolte asked participants to form smaller groups with equal

Seniors and youth in discussion at the CLICK project. Photo: CLICK project video screenshot numbers of old and phy is a way of allow- the outcomes would assignments brought young, and discuss the ing people who do not be,” Stolte says. “But up subjects he was unthemes of social iso- always express these what we found was accustomed to thinklation and loneliness, things through tradi- that the kids have ing about. and how they may tional means like writ- way more in common “I never really affect their lives. ing or conversation to with the elders than I thought about gratiAfter the discus- bring richness to the would have figured.” tude that much,” he sion he asked them issues,” Stolte says. He said many se- says, “and now I am all to go out and take The group repeat- niors talked about thinking about the photos, over the next ed this weekly mix how they experienced things I am grateful week, on those themes of photography and loneliness at some for.” He also says he had and upload them to discussion on themes time in their lives. “It was really help- never thought about the CLICK site for such as resiliency, group discussion the gratitude, compassion ful, I think, for the what he does for his following week. and mental health. young people to hear mental health, until the group discussed “Using photogra“I had no idea what that.” One student says it and he tried taking in the video that the photos on that theme. discussions and photo “All my piano

2020 Nelson Summer Skills Camp

stuff and my music, I just did it, I never thought of it as doing some stuff for mental health, until we talked about it.” One of the seniors in the video also says he found that taking photos shifted his awareness. “Going out and trying to capture an image of something every day awoke me to those themes. And it was delightful to meet the students — they responded so well with the photos, with their poetry, their musicianship, their comments.” The students’ teacher, Emily Browning, says that interaction with the seniors on such subjects “makes

[the students] more confident and more likely to engage with the deeper things in life.” She says her favourite part is the small group interactions. “Everyone was always really engaged. The seniors took on the role of the wise sharers of knowledge and the students were really able to connect with that, and talk about their personal experiences.” Stolte says the atmosphere was both serious and light. “There was a lot of fun and laughter,” he says. “There was way more going on between the elders and the young people than we anticipated. That

was really rewarding and rich.” He said some seniors seemed surprised at how much they enjoyed spending time with the students. “I really enjoyed being around the energy of the young people,” says one senior. The project was funded by the Columbia Basin Trust and New Horizons Canada. Stolte says the future of such projects will depend on funding and the pandemic, but there is much interest from other communities in B.C. and Canada after he spoke on CLICK at conferences in Vancouver and Ottawa.

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