An Intergenerational Retreat at Dundurn Castle
On November 16, the Gilbrea Centre was accompanied by students and older adults in an exciting trip to Dundurn Castle for an Intergenerational Retreat. The day included a tour of the entire castle, a cooking and baking class in the historically accurate kitchen, and ended with a retreat meeting. Altogether, it was a day full of enjoyment, fascinating history, and most importantly, meaningful intergenerational interactions.
Here are a few words by Alex, an older adult at the retreat:
“That was my first-time visiting Dundurn Castle and what a way to do it! Having the personal tour for our small group was great”. He worked on making potato rissoles and shared the following, “I think the best part was the interaction and collaboration with the students and older adults, during the food preparation. Sharing our individual experiences and stories is always fun”. Lastly, he expressed that his favourite part of the day was the lunch and meeting following the tour and cooking class, “I found the interactions with the people around the table to be the best part. Learning about each other’s background and where they’re from is always interesting… I truly enjoyed the deeper discussions that took place at our table. BTW, I truly enjoyed being able to sample the potato rissoles and fruit tarts we had prepared in the kitchen. Great mix of sandwiches and snacks for lunch!”.
Pictured: Alex (Co-author, far right), Lori, Zoe, and Marah.
Kyla, a student who attended the retreat, also had a few thoughts to share:
“I really enjoyed the cooking, baking, and touring experiences of the intergenerational retreat to Dundurn Castle. All individuals, whether staff or participants, were friendly and highly enthusiastic for the entirety of the day. I loved how everyone was able to get together and cooperate to make delicious food and have meaningful conversations. It was notable how everyone was eager and willing to participate, and I enjoyed all of the conversations I had with fellow students and older adults throughout the day. The meeting at the end was also a notable opportunity to reflect upon. We learned more about one another and had discussions on how we can improve future intergenerational opportunities”. When asked what the highlight of the day was for her, Kyla said the following, “the highlight of the retreat for me was the intergenerational interactions. I enjoyed getting to know everyone throughout the day”.
Pictured: Kyla (Co-author, on right) and other students baking.
Following the cooking class and castle tour, everyone headed to the meeting space where we were able to enjoy the food that we had prepared earlier. Afterward, the day took an administrative turn as we all got together for a meeting to reflect on past and ongoing intergenerational work, and to plan and guide future intergenerational collaboration done by the Gilbrea Centre. It was also at this time, that the older adults and students really had the opportunity to interact and learn more about each other – which seemed to be the highlight of the day for Alex and Kyla.
Overall, the Intergenerational Retreat was a great opportunity for older adults and students to get together and engage in fun activities and worthwhile interactions. The day was certainly memorable for the Gilbrea staff, as well as the attendees, and we could not have done it without the support and funding from The Office of the Vice President of Research’s RCI Engagement Fund, The Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, and MIRA. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Dundurn Castle in Hamilton for hosting us for a tour, historical cooking class, and in their meeting space as part of the Intergenerational Retreat.
