Residents at Cardinal Place spent the year connecting, sharing memories, and making art with students from Assumption College Catholic High School.
Grade 12 student Caprice Strgar started the project last year after receiving a grant from the Ministry of Education. She gathered students interested in art and literature to engage with the seniors at the home.
"You learn a lot about things you might not expect and I think just because of the different experiences that are had throughout both of our lives we're able to share different things with each other and get a lot of value out of our conversations," said Strgar.
Through their conversations, students created art work and poetry. A conversation about a life of travel turned into a world map with paintings of important places and quotes from the resident's life story.
Some of the art work was created strictly by the students while other residents participated in creating the work.
"We discovered things that we didn't know we could do because of their help, because of their guiding all of us," said Evangeline Franco.
The residents not only enjoyed their time with the students but learned about their peers through the art.
"I love working with the students. They bring life to this place and they're smart and talented and I think they enjoy coming here because the people respond to them very well," said Sister Gloria Drouillard, a former teacher at Assumption High School. "If we didn't have youth to give us a little bit of life once in a while it would be boring around here."
Strgar said the students are taking a lot away from the experience as well.
"They love interacting with the residents and learning from them which has been really beautiful to see," said Strgar. "I assumed it would go that way but to actually see them talk about something that they've learned and really get that perspective, it's really enriching for them."
Although she is graduating this year, Strgar is hopeful the students will continue the initiative for years to come.