Hosting Intergenerational Conversations

This fall, we teamed up with the Squamish Youth Climate Corps (YCC) to host three Intergenerational Conversation sessions. Keenan Miles of SYCC coordinated the events, which were open to the public. We were pleased to attract a good mix of people from their twenties to seventies.

Conversations are dialogues that aim to hear others’ perspectives. They offer a safe space for people who may not have the opportunity to sit and share thoughts with random people.

Questions started conversations about what community means to people. Small groups of mixed generations spent the 90 minutes sharing what brought them to Squamish, what keeps them there, and their perspectives on “community.” We probed what was missing and what people could do.

We enjoyed having Squamish Nation members, long-time residents, and people new to Squamish in the room. With rapid change taking place in Squamish, the incoming and outgoing population influences people’s sense of community.

The District of Squamish has partially funded the Squamish Youth Climate Corps to help communicate the Squamish Climate Action Plan. Many people are not aware of all the big moves the District is making or even that a plan exists.

Everyone left the sessions on a positive note, having learned new information about the community, often through the lens of different perspectives, and enjoyed time together being heard. We spoke about our shared responsibility to participate in the many opportunities on local issues and politics. 

We hope to continue hosting these sessions in 2025. If you are interested in participating in an Intergenerational Conversation in your community, please reach out to us at admin@howesoundbri.org.

Cheers,