Following the welcome by President Greg and the Eastview Land Acknowlegement, invited guest speaker, Andre Nogue from Age-Friendly Regina was introduced. Andre is a retired public servant who has chosen to invest much of his volunteer time for the betterment of living conditions for all through the lens of an older person. Involved with a nunber of volunteer organizations Andre has lived in Regina the majority of his adult life.
This is an international organization formed in collaboration with the World Health Organization in 2006. There are local organizations in every province in Canada with 16 in Saskatchewan. The goal is to impact the life of all people in a community. The first step is to form a committee of 12, with 3 persons appointed by the City of Regina, the U of R, and Sask Health. The remaining 9 people are volunteers. The committee is supported by stakeholders e.g. in Regina, the Seniors University Group, the Northgate Mall walkers, and Superannuated Teachers local branch.
The committee advocates for community by developing an action plan in 3 areas: access to housing, mental health, and crime prevention.They will develop resource guidelines in all areas, prepare reports and seek municipal government approval. The committee roles include providing information and influencing decision makers. They have worked with the Regina Open Door Society regarding the languages in which the guides have been translated (5 languages in Regina).
Andre noted that one issue on which the Committee continues to work with the City is PayByPhone Parking. For some this is a challenging process.
Thank you Andre for informing us about the important work of this organization--one of which only 2 people at the meeting had heard of. Another group of dedicated volunteers aiming to make our community and others around the world a better place! Well done.
