Bronson RISE

This month's Matinée Café concert, brought to you by the Shenkman Arts Centre / Centre des arts Shenkman, features the Celtic Skallions! Wendy Moore and Arthur McGregor play a wide variety of instruments and put on shows that include instrumental music, songs, and even step-dancing! They will be performing on Wednesday, August 24th from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

To receive the live-streaming link, please register at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

If you are interested in attending the concert in person, please contact the Shenkman Arts Centre at shenkmanarts.ca or at 613-580-2700. Tickets are $15, and coffee and treats will be provided after the show for those attending in person.

There's still over a week left to register for a livestream link to this month's concert brought to you by the Shenkman Arts Centre / Centre des arts Shenkman as part of their Matinée Café series! Fana Soro, master musician and hereditary dancer of the Senuofo people, will share the ancestral arts of West Africa on Wednesday, July 27th from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

To receive the livestreaming link, please register at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

If you are interested in attending the concert in person, please contact the Shenkman Arts Centre at shenkmanarts.ca or at 613-580-2700. Tickets are $15, and coffee and treats will be provided after the show for those attending in person.

Happy summer! ☀️ After 2+ years of mostly online programming, we would love for you to join us at McNabb Park on Wednesday, July 20th from 2:00-4:00 PM for an outdoor summer celebration. Come out to enjoy music, light refreshments, and the company of fellow Bronson Safe Open participants and facilitators!

To register, please visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open/

🧑‍🌾 There’s still time to sign up for this interactive Zoom workshop on getting your garden summer-ready! From 2:00-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21st, facilitator Marie Johnson will show how to maintain your garden and/or planters over the summer. Register online at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

We are 1 week away from this month’s special workshop: Get Your Garden Summer-Ready!
This interactive workshop will take place over Zoom on May 18th from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Facilitator Marie Johnson will focus on how to start and maintain your garden or planters over the summer. Bring all your garden- and plant-related questions!

🌎 We want to include seniors (55+) from our community in climate discussions and climate action. Join us from 10 AM to 2 PM in Bronson Centre’s MAC Hall on April 22nd, 2022 for a series of mini showcases on various ways to reduce waste and one’s carbon footprint. Entry is free and lunch will be provided. Spots are limited - please register at bronsoncentre.ca/earthday

Hope to see you there!

There’s still time register for next Wednesday’s Brain Health & Self-Care Workshop! It will take place on March 23rd from 2:00-3:30 p.m. on Zoom. Darshani Weerapura from will lead a discussion on brain health, resilience, self-care, and ways to take care of ourselves during COVID times.

Register online at www.bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or send an e-mail to [email protected]

Travel Together: New Zealand, our second special workshop for this month, will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, February 23rd from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Join 15 members of Ottawa’s Friendship Force as they visit with members of Friendship Force in New Zealand in November 2019. There will be a 45-minute video showing highlights of the two weeks spent with local hosts in Manawatu and Christ hutch, followed by an opportunity for workshop participants to meet with a few of the Ottawa travellers and ask questions.

To learn more or to register, please visit www.bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open/ or e-mail [email protected]

There’s still plenty of time to register for this special online workshop on Meditation! Daunett Tucker will be teaching participants about mindfulness and the benefits of meditation. Participants will learn to recognize breathing patterns and when their thoughts are adding to their stress. Additionally, they will learn to become aware of and develop strategies to help manage and cope with everyday life stressors, including anxiety and depression, and to improve overall well-being.

The workshop will take place through Zoom on Wednesday, February 16th from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

If this workshop interests you, register at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or by emailing [email protected]

It’s awesome to see other groups and organizations that are thinking through seniors’ issues and/or led by seniors, and we want to take the opportunity to highlight them!

SWAG Ottawa (Social Work in Aging and Gerontology) is hosting an online presentation by Ottawa Senior Pride Network about LGBTQ2S+ seniors in Ottawa. The presentation will take place through Zoom on Thursday, February 17th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with speakers Amanda Kristalovich (LGBTQ2S+ Program Coordinator) and Cathy Collette (MSW). To register, please visit bit.ly/3r7Yb7U

Social Work in Aging and Gerontology is a social work based educational group that meets to discuss issues related to social work and aging. Meetings are monthly on the 3rd Thursday, September through May. All professionals in social work (or social service work) are welcome to attend any of the meetings. Attendance at meetings can contribute towards continuing education hours for OCSWSSW. To join the mailing list, contact [email protected]

Formed in 2008, Ottawa Senior Pride Network (OSPN) is a volunteer-run network of LGBT seniors (50+) and allies. The group includes several LGBT seniors who have decades of experience in activism in community development work. Their vision is a world in which LGBT seniors are honoured and included in their communities and have access to appropriate services and facilities as they come to need them. Learn more at ospn-rfao.ca

One of the impacts of the Bronson RISE project is increasing safety and accessibility at Bronson Centre, which has been a busy community hub that is now comprised of 4 buildings. The Government of Canada has allocated funding through the Community, Culture, and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of their Investing in Canada Plan, and Bronson Centre is also contributing over $500,000 to the Renovation & Rehabilitation project. The rehabilitation will include improving accessibility of entranceways, updating the stonework, replacing windows, and upgrading the rental spaces for creative arts use by diverse communities across Ottawa.

The renovation will soon be underway. In the meantime, check out the project signs that have now been mounted! (Swipe for a detailed look at each sign.)

Join us for a special workshop next Wednesday, January 19th from 2:00-3:30 p.m. on Zoom! In this workshop, Daunett Tucker will facilitate a presentation and discussion about the healthcare decision-making system in Ontario and important information about Substitute Decision-Making — when one person makes health decisions on behalf of another who is not capable.

To learn more and to register, visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or send an e-mail to [email protected]

Here’s a sneak peek of an interview (coming soon) produced with Joanne Robinson, founder and president of , on the importance of shared accommodation for seniors in the Afro-Caribbean community.

(This interview was filmed in December 2021, prior to the current COVID restrictions.)

Season’s Greetings from the Bronson Safe Open team!

We have one more special workshop in December (Midweek in Mongolia), and our January calendar has been posted with 2 special workshops to look forward to: a workshop about cooking for one (or two) and another about healthcare consent and decision making. To learn more or to register, visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or e-mail [email protected]

Warmest wishes to you and yours this holiday season! ✨

Before 2021 ends, we want to take a moment to celebrate the success of our Now and the Future workshop in October. It was such a joy to come together and share with one another the strides, pivots, and impacts that have been made by our collaborative efforts to increase seniors’ inclusion and engagement. We want to give a special thanks to all of our collaborating partners who have been working tirelessly on this project. We also want to thank all the presenters who did a wonderful job sharing the impact of their organizations. New and exciting things are beginning! We cannot wait to see what else we accomplish together in the coming years for Bronson RISE.

Presenters:
Camila R.
Donna N.
Joanne R.
Becca B.
Lorraine S.
MC:

Videography, Photography, and Tech Support:

Food provided by , a wonderful social enterprise project by The Ottawa Mission.

Finally, thanks so much to our guests for coming to see what the project is all about and how far we’ve come in the first 2 years!

We have one more Sharing the Songs You Love scheduled on December 23rd before we take a break for the holidays. If you like music, discussing your favourite songs, and listening to new music with others, please join us for our last meeting of 2021! This weekly Zoom workshop takes place on Thursdays from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Register at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]

Join us for our special Holiday Tea & Wellness workshop on Wednesday, December 15th from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Bring a cup of your favourite tea or try something new as we meet to discuss mental health and wellness in a Zoom workshop facilitated by special guest Tracy Charles. Tracy currently works as a Case Manager with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Ottawa, and she specializes in supporting individuals who struggle with their mental health and with developmental challenges.

Register online at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]

Our December calendar is up! One of the special events is the Joy & Gratitude Workshop, which will take place over Zoom on Wednesday, December 8th from 2:00-3:00 p.m. In this workshop, we will learn together how to strength our Joy through the practice of gratitude journaling. This is meant to be a fun, relaxing — almost meditative — practice that we will learn how to do together, so that we can do it on our own (if we choose to). Perhaps this will be a lovely opportunity to start a new self-care practice for the new year!

To register or to learn more about this workshop and to explore other workshops available, please e-mail [email protected] or visit https://bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

CARRIBEAN FIT FETE is a “Get Fit, Island Style” cardio workout. This experience emulates the spirit of the Caribbean; a celebration of movement, music, and life. This workout makes for a perfect active escape from your hectic day and stressful mind. During this pandemic, it’s become almost mandatory to seek such spaces as Caribbean Fit Fete to get you moving, to share smiles, and to lift your spirit.

Register at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or by sending an email to [email protected]

You are cordially invited to virtually attend our Now & the Future Workshop! This event pertains to the Bronson RISE project, a cohesive collective impact initiative to address social inclusion of culturally diverse seniors in Ottawa and surrounding areas. Two years into our 5-year project, we have worked with our collaborating organizations to put together this workshop where we can share lessons learned, celebrate our successes between October 2019 and now, and discuss where we are headed.

Join us via Zoom on Tuesday, October 26th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, or to get the Zoom link, please contact Alicia at [email protected]

Join us online for a presentation and interactive discussion on diabetes and your kidneys, with special guest Craig Lindsay, program manager at the Kidney Foundation Ontario Branch. This workshop will be on Wednesday, October 27th from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

To register, you can e-mail [email protected], or visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

Bronson Safe Open provides free, accessible programming for members of our community to meet and socialize through virtual activities. We release a new calendar every month featuring social and educational workshops on subjects such as digital literacy, health, and wellness. These workshops are made possible by Bronson RISE’s collaborating organizations, including Flo's Seniors, Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa- PSO, and Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa.

We also have ongoing weekly classes: Tai Chi for Health on Mondays; Chair Yoga and Caribbean Fit Fete on Tuesdays; Chair Yoga, Tai Chi for Health, and Sharing Songs on Thursdays; and Dancing with Nubia on Saturdays.

To view the monthly calendar and to register, visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open or reach out to our program coordinator at [email protected] or 343-999-9110.

If you are interested in receiving a FREE* Echo Show 5, join us on October 13th from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to learn about how to use Alexa. Alexa is a voice-activated technology on the Echo Show 5 that can help to enhance daily living. It can help set reminders and make lists; play music, audio books, and news; call friends and family; provide help in emergency situations, and much more!

*Limited quantities of the Alexa devices are available.* Register at bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

Bronson Safe Open recognizes today, October 1st, as the International Day of Older Persons. This year’s theme is “Digital Equity for All Ages,” which affirms the need for access and meaningful participation in the digital world by older persons.

We are happy to contribute to this goal through our online programming. This month, we are featuring several workshops focused on digital literacy and support. Please visit www.bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open for more information on this month’s events.

In addition, Connected Canadians is offering free 1:1 support sessions with their technology mentors for Bronson Safe Open participants. Reach out to [email protected] for more details on how to book a session.

Irene is one of the participants of the Guided Autobiography (GAB) course offered by Helene Kaufman, Camila Reimers, and Alicia Borisonik. The course was offered as part of the Bronson Safe Open project funded by Bronson RISE.

Irene, 81, had this to say about the course: "this has been an experience that I will never forget. I was in a big depression at the time, then I heard of the Guided Autobiography Workshop and I signed up. This course has given me my life back, I feel a lot better now."

If you or a Spanish-speaking senior you know are interested in this course being offered in Spanish, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. The Spanish course is called AGE Autobiografía Guiada en Español.

October is almost here, and we have some exciting new workshops to check out, including these two by ! Join us on October 4th to learn how to adjust settings on computers to make them more accessible to use for those with minor vision loss. To wrap up the month, there will be another workshop on October 25th where you can learn to simplify your device’s user interface to reduce confusion.

To register for these or other workshops, and to see our October calendar, please visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

Our October calendar is ready! Have a look, and if any activities are of interest to you, please join us! To learn more and to register, please visit bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open/

The first Reflexology Therapy workshop that took place in August was a hit among participants! Part 2 will take place on September 29th from 2:00-3:30 p.m. First-time participants are absolutely welcome to join!

Reflexology Therapy is a non-invasive therapy using specific massage techniques to stimulate reflexes on the hands and feet. Discover how reflexology can
> Release tension and stress
> Promote relaxation
> Decrease pain sensation

To register for this online workshop, please e-mail [email protected] or visit www.bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open

There's still time to register for next Monday's Bronson Safe Open workshop brought to you by Connected Canadians! Connected Canadians is a non-profit that promotes digital literacy skills and provides technology training and support to older adults. This Zoom workshop on September 20th is all about how to access Government of Canada websites safely and securely. It will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

To register for this online workshop, please e-mail [email protected] or visit www.bronsoncentre.ca/bronson-safe-open