Minutes of January 9th , 2009

Twenty men, including three guests; Peter Pulpan, Adam Pulpan and Jerry Jutras gathered for a meal prepared by Richard Parker and Keith-Jean-Marie. The Secretary called the meeting to order at 8:15 PM. The membership and guests were welcomed and the supper committee were thanked for their satisfying ham dinner. The secretary read the objects of the club and the minutes of the December meeting. A motion to accept the minutes with noted corrections was moved by Richard Parker, seconded by Mike Hasen and carried.

Treasurer’ Report
Treasurer Jay Brown, reported an opening balance of $1348.45, and showed in his report that there were profits from the November and December meeting totalling $86.75 Additionally there was an anonymous donation of $100. When other adjustments from dues (payment from 3 men), dish washing expenses and interest are calculated, a working balance of $1609.59 remains in the account. A motion to accept the treasurer’s report as given was moved by John Parker, seconded by Mike Hasen and carried.

New / Other Business

Item #1: Son Ladies night – Don Barber has submitted a script that is being considered for this year's entertainment.

Item #2: The President will be consulting with a potential speaker for Son's Ladies Night and confirmed the next to meeting dates set for Friday Feb 13 and Friday March 13.

Item #3: School Gift not yet determined but Jeremy Irwin will discuss options with Jay Brown and Patrick Horigan prior to next meeting

Upon confirmation, there was no other business, or business arising from the meeting, Patrick Horigan then introduced the guest speaker of the evening, Mr. Adam Pulpan. Mr. Adam Pulpan obtained an undergraduate degree in Physical Geography and subsequently earned his Masters in Education. He is currently working on his PHD in Intergenerational Studies. Mr. A. Pulpan presented a paper entitled. "Intergenerational Learning Program for Community and Character Development".

The Main Event.

Mr A. Pulpan currently teaches this program at Bloordale Middle School. Bloordale was selected because of location and its multicultural appeal. Mr. A. Pulpan shared some intergenerational observations made during his time living in Nunavut. In the Inuit Culture, elders are important as they are a tie in to the past traditions and old way of life. Elders are a living resource, full of knowledge, culture and wisdom. They are part and parcel of everyday family life and they provide stability and interest to the younger generation. At one Inuit school the children are taught how to preserve their culture and nomadic way of life. Some children participate in the animal hide preservation and the stuffing of a Polar Bear while others learn how to build durable and practical kayaks. These activities were led by the elders who come into the school to teach life skills. Inuit children love the outdoors and find magic and learning in the simplest of God's creation.

Mr. Adam Pulpan explained that our modern society has introduced the intergenerational gap to the Inuit who lived in harmony and cooperation previous. This Gap happened over time in our culture but with Inuit culture change took place overnight. Still, the Inuit people are resistant to this unwanted change. How often do we speak to grand parents? Who are our role models ? Chances are we visit with our grand parents once a month and our role models are celebrities on TV. In Inuit life, the society values the grand Parents and the role they play in shaping the younger generation. The intergenerational contact between young and old help to provide positive benefits to both groups.

Mr Adam Pulpan showed that at Bloordale Middle School students enjoys the Intergenerational Learning Program (ILP) and actually look forward to the dates when seniors come in and are disappointed when seniors are absent. Students are reportedly saying "I feel more knowledgeable, my senior taught me a lot" Students and Seniors participate in numerous fun activities that promote teamwork and cooperation. The Frozen-T-Shirt is an "Ice Breaker" exercise where folded t-shirts are saturated with water and then frozen. Each team is given one frozen shirt to unfold and wear. The first team to thaw and successfully put on the t-shirt wins! Another fun exercise is the Balloon Olympics. In this exercise, both young and old compete in teams to score the highest points balloon bouncing. The team that make the greatest number of bounces in five minutes wins. Another activity is story writing. Students are asked to write stories of what they have learned from their senior partner and stories about themselves. Mr. Adam Pulpan observed that the stories of the senior partners were often longer and more detailed than the stories of the student autobiography. John Parker who participated in this study, expressed his delight in "working with the kids" and how useful and enjoyable the exercise has been. John says - "It is a treat to have the kids hold the door open for you. This Intergenerational contact is a very useful thing"

Mr. Adam Pulpan concluded that the Intergenerational Learning Program process
is working really well. Both students and seniors make positive contributions to each other. They enjoy the time spent learning and sharing together. So far at 50% completion, the progress is better than expected and the work and experience is quite gratifying. Based upon the success at Bloordale with some government funding, Mr. Adam Pulpan hopes to expand this program to more schools in the coming year.

Mr. Adam Pulpan answered many questions and made additional commentary on his presentation. Patrick Horigan thanked Mr. Adam Pulpan for his presentation. The membership responded with a round of applause. The meeting drew to a conclusion at 10:05 PM.


Respectfully submitted
John Reid.