City seeking older adults to demonstrate skills at the Bridging the Gap Skills Fair

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Bridging the Gap Call for Participants

BRANTFORD, ON – The City of Brantford is seeking older adult participants (aged 55+) to provide skill demonstrations for youth at the upcoming Bridging the Gap Skills Fair on Saturday, March 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. No skill is too small. The City is looking for individuals who can teach a wide variety of simple skills such as:

  • Applying caulking
  • Calligraphy
  • Crocheting
  • Cursive writing
  • Hand sewing
  • Lacing shoes or skates
  • Paper crafting
  • Patching dry-wall
  • Sewing on a button
  • Tying a fishing lure
  • Tying a tie, and more! 

This event will be structured like a skills-sharing fair in which older adults will have assigned booths where they can host short participatory demonstrations. Youth can travel from booth to booth to engage and learn. All supplies and materials will be provided and no teaching or program planning experience is required. Registration for this event is free and refreshments will be served. Older adults who have already participated in the Bridging the Gap program are welcome to return to share the same skill with a wider audience, or to showcase an entirely different skill.

“We are grateful for all of the seniors and youth that have participated in the Bridging the Gap program this year,” says Courtney Lebel, Community Initiatives Coordinator, City of Brantford. “This initiative has provided valuable opportunities for social participation, skills development, and life-long learning between youth and seniors in our community and we are excited to host this final Skills Fair Event in March.”

To participate at the Bridging the Gap Skills Fair, register at Brantford.ca/BridgingTheGap or call 519-759-4150 ext. 5986 by Wednesday, March 20.

Bridging the Gap is an intergenerational skill-sharing pilot project funded by the Ontario Seniors Community Grant that supports the City’s Age-Friendly Strategy and Empowering Youth Strategy. Since August 2023, this project has offered opportunities for local older adult participants (age 55+) to share their skills with youth across the City of Brantford. Programs have included workshops on pickleball, bike repair, creative writing, 3D printing, woodworking, knitting, pottery, and more! To date, 20 older adults have volunteered to share their skills by hosting workshops and programs that were attended by over 200 youth.

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Media Contact:

Chelsey Tobin | Communications Specialist, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | 519-759-4150 ext. 5048 | ctobin@brantford.ca