Episode Four - Slow and Gentle Approach

Hello and Welcome to iGen. This is a podcast that shines a light on a unique and inspirational education program that takes place at Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. My name is Eric Anderson and I am the Communications Leader for Sherbrooke Community Centre. We are a long-term care home in Saskatoon that is home to 263 residents of all ages and abilities, and since 2014, has been the home of the iGen program.

iGen, which is short for intergenerational classroom, is a wonderful partnership between the Saskatoon Public School Division and Sherbrooke that sees 25 grade six students from across Saskatoon working with and learning from the Elders who call Sherbrooke home. The students spend their school days at Sherbrooke, within our care home, which makes for an incredible learning environment for everyone involved.

This is episode four of the podcast and it’s actually our first episode of the 2023/24 school year. So we thought it would be interesting to catch up on how the school year is going so far and how unique this year’s iGen class. When I say we I mean iGen Lead Teacher Keri Albert and secondary teacher, Lorna Conquergood.

I sat down with Keri and Lorna in the iGen classroom at Ecole College Park school, which is just across the park behind Sherbrooke and we talked about why slow and gentle was a starting theme for this year’s iGen class.

In our conversation, we also discuss the strategies Keri and Lorna used to empower students to help form relationships with Elders, and why making a safe space for Elders, students and families was such an important priority this year.

If you have any questions for myself or Keri, or if you have any comments, suggestions, or even ideas for future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to email us.

My email is [email protected]

Keri’s is [email protected]

I want to thank Keri and Lorna for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak with me on the podcast. I also want to thank the Saskatoon Public School Division and Sherbrooke Community Centre for their support of the podcast and of course the iGen program.

We can’t wait to bring you more stories of iGen, and if there are specific things you want to learn and hear about relating to the program, please let us know.

Thank you again for listening and we’ll talk with you soon.
Links:

The Wheel of Awareness
The Science of Raising Courageous Kids

Producer, Host and Editor: Eric Anderson

Consulting Producers: Keri Albert and Lorna Conquergood

Recorded in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and Treaty Six Territory