News From CALL June 2022

Photo by Paul Fesko, a member of the Digital Photography Interest Group

June Events

CALL Café Online
Living a Spectrum of the Black Experience: My Ongoing Response to a History I Did Not Know

Monday, June 6, 7:00pm–8:30pm Online with Zoom
Speaker: Lisa La Touche

NOTE: You must be a CALL member to register, but the registration process allows you to bring 1 to 4 guests.

Lisa La Touche grew up in Alberta as a bi-racial woman of color without any awareness of local Black cultural history. In 2008, she moved to New York where she further developed her skills as a tap dance artist, choreographer and educator, dancing on Broadway and establishing her own performance company Tap Phonics. Returning in 2020 to her hometown of Calgary, she was unprepared for the Black cultural isolation she witnessed and the reverse culture shock she experienced. This sent her on a mission to meet local Black elders and discover the history she did not know. In her presentation, Lisa will share stories of her ongoing journey of discovering this history. She will also present her short film about local Black heroes in the arts.

Learn about the cultural history of Alberta. Register now for Living a Spectrum of the Black Experience: My Ongoing Response to a History I Did Not Know.
To register and for more information, go to the CALL Café Online page.

The CALL Facebook page is promoting this event by inviting non-CALL members to request a free registration. We are doing this to promote this event to the general public, but also to invite people to learn more about CALL. See the Facebook posts

Science and Environment
Radiation Exposure due to Radon Gas

Tuesday, June 7, 7:30-9:30pm Online with Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Dustin Pearson

Dr. Pearson is research operations manager for the Goodarzi laboratory Evict Radon project. He will tell us what radon is, how it affects us and how it leads to cancer. Many of us have participated in the Evict Radon program, a national research study seeding to understand and engineer out radon from our homes.

For more details and to register go to the Science and Environment page.

Treks and Travels
Dalmation Coast: Lands of Contrasts and Contradiction

Wednesday, June 15. 7:30pm Online with Zoom
Presenters: Sheila Evans and Kathleen Oberle

Join Sheila and Kathleen on their travels through Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, countries which they describe as “countries of unrivaled beauty with fabled histories and modern trials”.

Photo: Predjama Castle, Slovenia

For more details and to register go to the Treks and Travels page.

CALL Lawn Bowling Begins on June First!

Stanley Park Lawn Bowling begins regular Wednesday morning play on June 1 at 9:15 am.

Those new to the game will be offered up to three sessions of free coaching before beginning team plays. These are fun plays and teams are randomly chosen weekly with a combination of beginners and more seasoned players. For those wishing more competition, there are other opportunities throughout the week.

We play every Wednesday through to September, light rain or shine, with a wind-up on Wednesday September 21.
The weekly green fee is $10.00 or if you become a member of Stanley Park it is $110 for the season.
Bowls are provided and the only requirement is that you wear flat soled shoes.
Stanley Park Lawn Bowling is located at 350 - 42 Avenue SW

To register, go to the Lawn Bowling page.

Indigenous Programming

By Barbara Decker Pierce

Last fall CALL set up a subcommittee to look for ways to contribute to actions being taken across Canada to reconcile with Indigenous peoples. Its purpose was to provide programming that would increase our awareness and understanding of the history, issues, and experiences of Indigenous peoples with an emphasis on local/regional themes. Over the past year the group developed and presented a series of talks on Indigenous topics which were well received by the CALL membership.

• Indigenizing Curriculum
• Birth of a Family
• Sacred Teaching of the Medicine Wheel
• Walking Together with Our Indigenous Relatives

As well, the subcommittee worked with the Board to develop a Land Acknowledgement Statement and helped refine our honorarium policy to be in line with other organizations’ approach to thanking Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. After a very successful year the group will be disbanding. We would like to thank Barbara Decker Pierce, Adrienne Kertzer, Tom Kerwin, Terry Lende, Pat Hogan, Kerry White-Tucker and Barb Barnes for the completion of a successful project.

While the committee’s work is done, CALL’s interest in Indigenous issues has not ended. We will be on the lookout for new and informative speakers and would be pleased to talk with any member or group that has a good idea for future programming in this area. Let us know your ideas by emailing specialprograms@calgarylifelonglearners.ca.

Intergenerational Speaker Series

By Barbara Decker Pierce

Good news – our funding from the federal government New Horizons Program has been received! A 15-person planning committee of enthusiastic students and older adults (three from CALL) has begun to meet with the support of our part-time coordinator MRU student Emma Maguire. We are busy with the many tasks needed to plan and deliver high quality speakers and valuable experiences to those who plan to attend. In the next year we will be offering four events to be held over the lunch period at MRU. Keep an eye out in future CALL newsletters for program details. It will be a unique opportunity for learning and for forming new connections across generations. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with project, we would be happy to talk with you. Contact program@calgarylifelonglearners.ca.

CALL Community Conferences

By Maureen Osis

Photo attribution: Annie Spratt, UNSPLASH

In this article we want to explore the value of the Community Conference to lifelong learning for CALL members and Calgary public. We also want to acknowledge the skills and effort required to organize a conference. Finally, a word on the pros and cons of virtual and in-person events.

First, a summary of the CALL vision and mandate

• CALL believes that learning never ends no matter what our age or circumstances.
• CALL's mission is to offer year-round innovative and affordable learning opportunities.
• These include programs and activities that are wide-ranging; focusing on arts and culture, society and politics, and health and science.
• CALL depends on members who volunteer to take on roles in administration, co-ordination and implementation of programs.

Similar to other CALL activities, the intention of the Conference is to enable members to gain new knowledge, skills, and experiences and to keep their minds stimulated and active. Because the Conference is open to the public, it addresses another part of CALL's vision:

"We believe that by enriching the lives of the community’s elders and expanding the opportunities for them to connect with a wide range of individuals and organizations, we will also be enriching the cultural, social, and intellectual life of the larger community, contributing significantly toward Calgary’s ongoing effort to become a highly livable city for people of all ages."

Organizing a Conference

The image of the iceberg, with most of it hidden below the surface, is apt to describe the work required to plan, organize and deliver a conference. The more work done behind the scenes—the more likely that the conference will appear well-organized and effortless to the participants.

Most organizations have an education department that takes on this type of work. Even a quick internet search reveals articles that provide advice; such as:

"In considering how to organise your conference, you’ll need to first think through every significant milestone along the way. Before you do anything else, consider each step, the resources you’ll need and the estimated workload. You’ll need to budget enough time (and hands) to get everything done."
https://www.exordo.com/blog/organising-conference-tips

CALL is so fortunate to have volunteers willing to undertake the ambitious learning opportunity of the annual Community Conference. We can be very grateful for their skills and commitment. To date, CALL volunteers have organized five conferences.

1. Canada 150: Exploring Canadian Identity. November 4, 2017
2. Challenges of Peace and War. May 5, 2018, co-sponsored with Ploughshares Calgary Society
3. Climate Change: What’s an Albertan To Do? March 30, 2019, with the assistance of Calgary Citizens on Climate Change (4C)
4. Fake News and the Future of Democracy. May 7 (evening); May 8 (morning) May 15 (morning), 2021
5. It All Adds Up: Individual Responsibility in Fighting Climate Change and Pollution. May 7, 2022.

Pros and Cons of Virtual and In-Person Conferences

The Coronavirus Pandemic forced the worlds of business and education to use virtual technology for work and education. During COVID, CALL made a successful and timely shift to virtual presentations. In future, CALL might have the options of virtual, in-person, and hybrid styles.

Certainly, which strategy is used will be influenced by the topic, presenters, and audience preference.

In brief, some advantages of virtual events are:

• lower cost
• availability of presenters from other areas
• flexibility of schedule—single session or multiple sessions over several days
• possibility to record and offer again later
• lower carbon footprint—less travel

Disadvantages of virtual events include:

• more difficult to have interaction between participants
• lack of social opportunities (a reason for some to join CALL)
• Murphy's Law. If anything can go wrong, it will. Failure of technology.
• costs of technology

Future CALL Conferences

Through hybrid technology, it may become possible to offer events to both audiences: live and virtual, at the same time. Alternatively, CALL might use a blended approach; that is, record the event live and then make available for CALL members to access later.

For example, cSpace acknowledges:

"Many groups are looking at new and innovative ways to deliver their message. Recorded and live streamed performances continue to be a vital tool for keeping the arts in our hearts. Online, recorded, and hybrid events are here to stay, and offer great opportunities for a new kind of connectivity." 
https://cspacekingedward.com/live-stream/

We want to hear from you

Do you have an opinion—what format would you like to see for future Conferences? Do you have a topic or presenter to recommend? Send your ideas to info@calgarylifelonglearners.ca

CALL is a unique lifelong learning organization, operating solely through volunteers. This is an opportunity to thank all the volunteers who contributed to organizing and delivering these conferences. Because of their creativity and enduring efforts, CALL members and the public audience have benefitted.

Ambrosia

-Elaine Strom

Melons
luscious, dripping
enhanced by
aromatic wafts of
Strawberry
and full-bodied meat of
Coconut
mellowed by
Banana
before the burst of
Blackberry
secured by the richness of
Mango
and pillow puffs of
Marshmallow
Oh food of the gods!
Ambrosia.

The Food of the Gods on Olympus (1530), majolica dish attributed to Nicola da Urbino Photo by By MicheleLovesArt - Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen - Istoriato schotel: de maaltijd der Goden op de Olympus, CC BY-SA 2.0

. . . a bit about Elaine . . .

I was born and grew up on the prairies of southern Saskatchewan. After graduating from St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, I worked for fifty continuous years on a Registered Nurse’s licensure. I obtained a Baccalaureate Arts Degree in Psychology from U of A and AU, as well as, a Graduate Arts Degree in Psychology from the Saybrook Institute in San Francisco. In my later adult years, I lived and worked for more than a decade on the Gulf Coast of Texas, eventually retiring back to Alberta.

I am the mother of one adult son, and I spend hours walking with my buddy Pomeranian-Shih Tzu cross, and sometimes, volunteer walking with a miniature Dachshund too. Hiking is a fantastic, once a week outing for me—out in the back country and mountains—with the Fifth Dimension Outdoor Club. And, I love music everywhere—blues, grassroots, folk, country, classical.

As early as elementary school I found I particularly enjoyed my Literature and English classes. And I always felt enthusiastic about writing assignments—kind of a chance to escape to somewhere using my visual imagery and expression with words. In adulthood, I discovered that purging in written word—any disconcerting and persistent thoughts that echoed and banged around in in my head, whether good or bad—served as an emotional release for me—a freeing form of self-expression, and with refinement, became a source of creativity as well. I write for ME, and my writing is emotionally driven. Sometimes, I decide to share it. My hope is that the reader may experience a sense of mutual “knowing,” but I leave it open to interpretation, a way that has meaning for them.

With each emerging writing project, I strive to improve my skills and learn from mentors experienced in the field. My first self-publication was a book of poetry, my second a memoir narration, and my third a soon-to-be-released book of fiction, a collection of short stories.

Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to experiencing your submissions as well,
Elaine Strom

CALL for Submissions to CALL Newsletter

The CALL Newsletter group invites members to submit photos, sketches, stories, poems, descriptions of projects etc. for use in CALL newsletters. We know that CALL members are creative. Do you have a photo taken on your daily walk or from your window; a poem written as you reflect on life; a sketch of a scene that catches your eye? Have you turned a memory into a short story or a response to something you have heard or read?

We will keep all submissions on file to use in future newsletters. Send submissions to newsletter@calgarylifelonglearners.ca, include your name and a sentence giving CALL permission to publish in the newsletter.

Your CALL Newsletter

The CALL Newsletter is our way to communicate what is going on in our community. It's a way to highlight events of interest, ‘peek behind the curtain of CALL’ and to give some general information about CALL groups and members.

You are invited to send your ideas and suggestions for future issues to newsletter@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. We reserve the right to edit submissions and to determine when submissions will be published.

CALL Newsletter dates for posting:

• June 10, 24

Meanwhile, be well, stay well in every sense of the word.