Episode Two - How is iGen Structured?

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.

Sherbrooke is 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 the care home, which makes for an incredible learning environment for everyone involved.

This is episode two of the podcast and we wanted to focus on how the class is structured and how it evolves during the school year. Taking you through that evolution will be Keri Albert.

Keri is the lead teacher of the iGen program and has been since the first day students walked through the doors of Sherbrooke in 2014. She is a highly respected teacher in the Saskatoon who has made a difference of students and Elders in her time as the iGen teacher.

She is also passionate about helping other teachers explore possible intergenerational relationships and this conversation really comes from a lot questions she received from teachers who were curious about the nuts and bolts of iGen.

In our conversation that you are about to hear, Keri shares how students really grow throughout their year in iGen and why treating each student as a unique person is so important. She also explains why communication with the Sherbrooke staff is so vital to making sure the school year runs smoothly.

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]

We hope you found this episode helpful and full of information that will give you the confidence to try and start an intergeneration program in your community.

Cheers...Eric Anderson - Communications Leader, Sherbrooke Community Centre

Producer, Host and Editor: Eric Anderson

Consulting Producers: Keri Albert and Lorna Conquergood

Recorded in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and Treaty Six Territory