News From CALL May 2023

Photo by Beth Hetherington, member of the CALL Digital Photo Interest Group. Spring Blossom taken at Reader Rock Gardens.

May Events

CALL Café: The Calgary Atlas Project

Monday, May 1, 2:00–3:30pm Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
Speakers: Jim Ellis, Shelley Alexander and Rita McKeough

Doors open at 1pm. Come early so that you can visit with your friends and meet other CALL members.

In 2014 the Calgary Institute for the Humanities began publishing maps that highlight forgotten or overlooked stories from Calgary’s history and thus deepen our understanding of that history.

So far 9 maps have been created:

• The Animals Guide to Calgary
• Calgary’s Architecture in 40 Buildings
• Calgary’s Art Underground: Place, Time, Art: A Guide
• Calgary Goes to the Movies: A Historical Guide
• City of Romance: The Literary World of 1920s Calgary
• First Nations Stampede: A Guide to First Nations History at the Calgary Stampede
• A Queer Map: A Guide to the LGBTQ+ History of Calgary
• RING-A-DING-DONG DANDY: A Map of Stampede Wrestling
• Workers Stand Up: Calgary labour History Map

Register for CALL Café and hear three perspectives on the goals, process, and intent of these maps. The maps will be on display and available for $5 each.

You must be a CALL member to register but the registration process will allow you to bring 1 to 4 guests.

For more information and to register, go to the CALL Café page.

Science and Environment: Why Alberta’s Woodland Caribou Matter – Opportunities and Challenges in 2023

Tuesday, May 2, 7:30-9:30 on Zoom
Speaker: Carolyn Campbell, Conservation Director of the Alberta Wilderness Association

Woodland caribou are amazing and beautiful. They are also indicators of the health of Alberta’s boreal and foothills forests. Carolyn will describe why caribou matter, why they’re threatened here, and how they’re driving changes to land-use decisions related to our vital wetlands, waters and forest. She’ll also outline some key concerns and opportunities ahead for Alberta caribou and their habitat.

For more information and to register, go to the Science and Environment page.

Speaker Event: Science of Climate Change—Why Net Zero 2050?

Monday, May 15, 2:00pm–3:30pm Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
Speaker: Dr. David Manz

What is the science behind Net Zero 2050? What are the obstacles that must be overcome to achieve this target? In his presentation, Dr. David Manz will address these questions and explain why achieving Net Zero is only possible if citizens are informed and confident in the underlying science.

Recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence for his development of the BioSand Water Filter and for his contribution to education on the science of global warming and climate change, David will explain why understanding the science of climate change is an essential tool in achieving Net Zero 2050.

Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5).

For more information, go to the Speaker Events page.

Treks & Travels: Life in La Paz, Mexico

Wednesday, May 17, 7:30-9:00pm at Varsity Presbyterian Church
Speaker: Kim Symon

Members of the public are welcome to attend for $5.

Kim frequently visits her daughter and son-in-law in La Paz, Mexico. She loves to take her camera and explore the city and surrounding areas, learning the local customs and language.

Using her photos from La Paz, she will explore the common needs of humans, birds and animals for home, food, companionship and finding her own beauty and peace.

“A splash of colour, a scene that unfolds before me…I take pictures of everything. My pictures are the stories that I will remember over time. I hope that you will enjoy my stories of La Paz through some of the photographs that I have taken.”

June Events

Science and Environment: Geothermal Energy and Its Role in Alberta’s Energy Future

Tuesday, June 6, 7:30–9:30pm. Online with Zoom.
Speaker: Dr. Edwin Cey, Department of Geoscience and Natural Sciences Program, U of C.

Geothermal energy is often touted as a natural resource that can provide vast amounts of clean, low-carbon energy for heating or electricity generation, yet Canada lags other nations when it comes to geothermal energy resource development.

This talk will explore the scientific and technical fundamentals behind different geothermal systems as well as potential environmental and socioeconomic issues, enabling audience members to better assess the challenges and opportunities for geothermal energy in Alberta.

For more information and to register go to the Science and Environment page

CALL Café: Riopelle and Quebec Modernism

Wednesday June 7, 7:00–8:30pm. Online with Zoom

In February 2022, Ryan Green, President of Masters Gallery, spoke to CALL on Emily Carr: 150 Years. On June 7th, Ryan will return to speak about the rise of mid-century abstraction in Canadian art, the life and work of Jean Paul Riopelle, and the legacy of Modernist painting in Quebec.

Register for Riopelle and Quebec Modernism and learn why 2023, the centenary of Riopelle’s birth, is being celebrated in Canada and internationally, and why the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation regards the centenary as “A Centenary of Artistic Genius”.

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

To register and for more information, go to the CALL Café page.

Reports from CALL Groups and Events

Intergenerational Speaker Series

– Barbara Decker Pierce, IGSS – Co-Chair

This joint project with the Nursing Faculty at MRU has been an unqualified success. We held four sessions each bringing together MRU students and older adults from the Calgary community – many of whom were CALL members. Registrations for each event topped 100 and interest remained high throughout the program. Feedback received from the post-event evaluations was overwhelmingly positive with an average of 96% of attendees agreeing or strongly agreeing they enjoyed the event and would attend again. Over 85% of attendees at each session agreed or strongly agreed that they felt they had a better understanding of intergenerational challenges and opportunities because of attending the event. Students felt seniors had valuable stories to tell and life experiences that were interesting. Seniors were impressed and inspired by the qualities of the young people they met. Of the 86 responses in the open-comment section 90% were positive and encouraging. It was clear the attendees felt the generations had much in common and the opportunity to meet and talk together reduced unfounded stereotypes in both directions.

The federal government New Horizon’s program has agreed to extend the funding until the end of August. We will be using this money to complete an evaluation of the program’s first year and begin planning for next year. We are encouraged by recent discussions with a potential donor who is considering funding the program costs for next year. Stay tuned for good news on that front. If you would like to discover more about the program, please visit the website. There are descriptions of the past events and a set of inspiring photos that were taken at the last session where we paired students and seniors. Click on “Events” and scroll down to Event 4 Photography – be on the lookout for fellow CALL members. You can also view videos from each event

CALL on Facebook

CALL has a very active ‘poster’ on Facebook. Maureen Osis, a member of the CALL Communications team, plans posts to highlight CALL events, especially those that are open to the public. You can be part of CALL’s marketing by ‘following’ CALL on Facebook, sharing posts with others, check “interested”, “going” or “like” – all of which generate interest on Facebook. We have over 675 followers and every post gets lots of attention.

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:

• May 12, 26
• June 16, 30

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