Sometimes seniors can feel isolated, sometimes youth can feel isolated.
Putting the two together can add up to more than the sum of their parts - namely,a stronger community, said Jessica Fisher, a Grade 11 student at Cedars Christian school.
Read2btogether is a project Fisher has developed in the hopes of having youth and seniors read together once a month until June.
The idea started when her Pathfinder group took up the challenge to Buddy Up and Read through the Raise-A Reader project that encourages literacy for all ages.
"We were supposed to find either an elderly person or a little kid to read with, so I read with my grandpa, who lives with us," said Fisher. "I found it was amazing what happened. It was like wow, our relationship totally deepened. We got to share some of the memories he might not have shared with me and he passed down the wisdom he has. It wasn't only beneficial for him, it was beneficial for me as well, because I got to benefit from his knowledge and I got to share my ideas with him and tell him what I want from life and it totally strengthened our bond."
John Revel, 77, and Fisher are reading Robert Adams's books right now, which Fisher describes as fun old stories.
When people join the program they can read any book they choose, she quickly added.
"I was thinking a lot about how people make connections," said Fisher, who reads with her grandfather two or three times a week. "Like I bond with people on my volleyball team, right? But with seniors it might be harder for them and so I thought reading would be an activity that brings youth and seniors together."
When Fisher realized she'd like this program to grow, she did research on the Internet and found New Brunswick's St. Thomas University Intergenerational program for inspiration.
Fisher will be contacting the seniors groups in town and then approach Brownies and Guide groups to collaborate.
"I think any intergenerational sharing is beneficial to both seniors and youth and we will support this endeavour," Lola-Dawn Fennell, manager of the Prince George Council of Seniors.
For more information e-mail Fisher at mhjjfisher@hotmail.com or call 250-564-4655.
