PHC & GES

Living through an event like the Covid pandemic changes everyone for life. Such a rare phenomenon touches every community member, although no two experiences will be the same. A large percentage of our collective focus was the financial impact, but there were different hurdles to overcome and voices that weren’t given as big a platform, like those of our elders and children.

This project aimed to unite these often overlooked groups and learn about their lockdown experiences. Through art and storytelling, we hoped to nurture new friendships and create a better understanding of how the pandemic affected us all. And that’s what it did! Working side by side, youth and elders laughed, chatted, and saw the beginnings of new friendships. Everyone who participated will now run into each other and feel the warmth of connection, community, and camaraderie.

Opening night was a coming together of new friends and their families to eat, talk and celebrate art. Children proudly posed for photos next to their artwork, pride beaming from their faces. The adults chatted about their experience working on the project and their time in lockdown, connecting with others after a long separation. What rang the loudest was the laughter. Everyone was happy to be together, which is the best we could have hoped for.