West Vancouver teens host painting sessions for seniors during pandemic
Sessions leading to intergenerational connections after an isolating year, says 16-year-old organizer
Sixteen-year-old Jena Yue has been busy this summer organizing and hosting painting sessions for seniors, with the help of some of her high school friends.
The West Vancouver teen came up with the intergenerational workshops as a way to help seniors and youth connect through art after an isolating and challenging year.
"I started painting a lot more [during the pandemic], because when you can't go outside, what else do you do? So I thought we could bring that to other people," said Yue who starts Grade 12 in September.
For residents Lise and Ellis Brayham, married for more than 60 years, it's a way to renew a hobby they both enjoy. They bring their own paint brushes to each session.
"We've been painting for 20 years, less and less as the years go," explained Ellis as he chuckled, "It's fun but the hands aren't as steady as they used to be."
In total, three sessions have been hosted at Amica West Vancouver, a seniors living residence, with plans to add more dates and locations in the months to come. The art supplies are primarily provided by the residence while the teens volunteer their time and plan the lesson.
"[Residents] were really excited and they were looking forward to new stuff to learn, not only painting," said Ava Butalid, the residence's life enrichment assistant.
Yue and her volunteering friends teach new painting techniques each session. But she insists the learning is mutual.
"While we're teaching seniors how to paint, we're also learning so much. Like last session, we learned about a [resident] who was from Germany. She was a nurse who told me her life story. So it's also great for us to interact with some seniors, hear stories from a time before we were even born."
The sessions are among several initiatives Yue organizes through her non-profit Youth Art for Action, which she founded in the midst of the pandemic in the summer of 2020 with a mission to use art for good in the community.
Members of Youth Art for Action sell their art pieces and donate the proceeds to charities, including Learning Buddies Network and the Alzheimer Society of B.C. Twenty-six paintings have been sold so far bringing in $2,500 in donations.
Some paintings have been donated to hospitals and retirement homes to be enjoyed by the public.
The team is looking to grow its roster of youth artists willing to donate pieces and who can help host sessions.
