Refugees and Seniors’ Stories in Ink and Sound: Lived Experiences through Art
About the Project
At Great Lakes Networking Society of BC, we bring seniors and refugees together through Art and sound storytelling, we capture their lived experiences in deeply personal and expressive ways. Using Pen, Ink, Watercolors, and Sound Art, participants illustrate memories of their journey, displacement, resilience, endurance and belonging. Over 258 million migrants worldwide face increasing risks as many resort to irregular migration, crossing borders secretly or relying on smugglers. Their journeys expose them to violence, detention, exploitation, and debt. Upon arrival in their new countries, they often live in the shadows without legal protections, identification, or citizenship rights. At GL-BC we developed programs and or initiatives that go beyond headlines, we offer a human-centered approach to storytelling that promotes empathy, understanding, and connection.
Our website showcase visual and audio stories, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the voices, emotions, and artistic expressions of seniors and refugees.
Call to Action – We are developing an interactive space/platform where you can: Join a session to participate in storytelling workshops. You can donate to support this initiative, Volunteer to help facilitate workshops and exhibitions.
1. Thematic Approach: We merge Seniors’ Stories with Humanitarian Narratives. Instead of presenting individual stories in isolation, we interweave narratives from seniors and newcomers, exploring shared experiences through key themes: Resilience and Adaptation, Seniors reflect on past challenges, while refugees share how they are rebuilding their lives and smoothly integrating into Canadian society.
Displacement and belonging, we hear tons of Stories of migration across generations, whether due to war, climate change, or personal circumstances. Cultural memory and preservation, capturing traditions, languages, and ancestral knowledge through visual and sound art.
2. Storytelling Mediums: We blend Art and Sound for deeper impact. Visual Storytelling (Pen, Ink and Watercolor). Expressive Portraits and Safe Spaces, platforms for Seniors to illustrate their own experiences or the stories of refugees they engage with, creating a safe space for dialogue.
Layered Art – Using Watercolors for backgrounds (representing emotions), Ink for details (memories), and Text annotations (testimonies).
Collaborative Art – We Pair seniors and refugees to create joint paintings, where one begins a story visually, and the other completes it.
Sound Storytelling (Audio and Sound Art) – Ambient Soundscapes – Recording real-world sounds like waves, rain, heartbeats, and footsteps to accompany painted stories. Layered Voices, blending seniors’ voices with refugees’ testimonies, capturing emotions through tone and pauses. Music and Memory, seniors share music from their past, while refugees contribute traditional sounds from home, blending these into a sonic time capsule
3. Program Format: we develpoed Interactive Workshops, Exhibitions and community Storytelling Circles. which brings seniors, refugees, and community members together in interactive sessions that start with a discussion on themes like home, resilience, change, etc. Participants then sketch, paint, or write phrases inspired by the conversation.
Sound and Art Fusion Sessions – Recording seniors telling their stories while layering them over evolving paintings. These recordings and background sounds are incorporated into immersive exhibitions.
Public Exhibitions and Digital Galleries – Physical Art Installations – are Paintings and recorded sound pieces displayed together.
Interactive Website and Podcast will be developed where a digital archive where visitors would click on artwork to hear the voices behind it and see the paintings
4. The Human-Centered Approach: We shift Perception Beyond Headlines: 
Depth over sensationalism – Instead of focusing solely on crises, we highlight the human spirit and resilience in overcoming challenges.
Empathy through Art-Seeing handwritten annotations, imperfect brushstrokes, and real voices fosters emotional connections Story Ownership – Seniors and refugees co-create their narratives, rather than just being subjects of storytelling.
Bringing It to Life – We offer pilot storytelling circles with a mix of seniors and refugees.
We wiill build a long-term collection of sketches and recordings.
Develop an exhibition or online archive showcasing the final works.
Our Mission
At the Great Lakes Networking Society of BC, we are dedicated to teaching, organizing, and celebrating arts, culture, and heritage, education and sporting, guided by the principle of “Reaching One, Teaching One.”
Three-Year Strategic Programs and Activities
1. Human and Social Services
We prioritize basic human needs and social well-being by integrating arts, culture, sports and education into community support programs. Our key initiatives include: Food security, short-term housing, and harm reduction resources, supporting marginalized communities. Mental health and counseling services tailored to LGBTQ+ individuals, the homeless, people with disabilities, seniors, children, youth, and women. We support African refugees especially the African Diaspora, particularly Kiswahili speakers, offering language assistance, settlement aid, housing support, and cultural orientation for smoother integration into Canadian society. Child and youth-focused programs, including childcare, after-school initiatives, and cultural heritage camps that incorporate life skills and mentorship.
2. Arts, Culture, and Sports for Community Development
We foster stronger communities through inclusive, creative, and recreational programs that celebrate identity and heritage while promoting well-being. Our efforts include: Public art installations, cultural festivals, and workshops that celebrate diversity, addressing systemic barriers. With expanded opportunities in performing, media, and visual arts for children, youth, and adults to encourage creativity, community engagement, and personal development.
Sports initiatives to empower youth, instructional sports for adults, and seniors’ games to promote physical health, teamwork, and leadership.
3. Youth Empowerment and Leadership Development
We uplift youth through mentorship, education, and skill-building in arts, culture, and sports. Key initiatives include: Scholarships, training workshops, and career development pathways to build confidence, leadership, and achievement. Programs for at-risk youth, include counseling, mentorship, and referrals for holistic development resources.
4. Advocacy and Anti-Racism Initiatives
We work to combat racism and discrimination while promoting inclusivity and resilience within communities through: Trauma-informed counseling and peer support groups for victims of racism and discrimination. Educational campaigns, training, and dialogues to help address systemic inequities and promote understanding between communities and law enforcement.
Collaborations with other organizations to implement programs that strengthen community cohesion and cultural awareness.
5. Capacity Building and Environmental Sustainability
We advance sustainable development while ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion through:
Workshops, policy discussions, and strategic partnerships to strengthen organizational capacity and governance. Environmental stewardship programs, including conservation, recycling, and sustainable agriculture projects that engage youth and marginalized groups.
Integration of arts and nature-based initiatives to promote creativity, resilience, and environmental consciousness.
6. Advocacy for Equity and Inclusive Policies
We advocate for systemic change and equitable access to resources, legal support, and inclusion through:
Forums and policy discussions to amplify the voices of Black communities and other underserved groups. Multilingual educational materials on legal rights, equity, and inclusion. We partner with local, national, and international organizations to drive policy and programmatic change to address systemic inequities.
7. Our Legacy: The Nakhatandi Mvumo Strength Initiative
Established in 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative has become a pillar of resilience and empowerment for the Black community in BC and beyond. Originally created to combat isolation, it connected seniors and youth through digital skills training, storytelling, painting, sound arts, and mutual care networks. Today, it continues to: Foster intergenerational partnerships that build community strength. Promote crime prevention among newcomers and refugees. Amplify unity through creative expression and education.
8. African Healing Arts Therapy
At Great Lakes Networking Society of BC, we expand on this legacy through African Healing Arts Therapy, a culturally rooted program for immigrant and refugee seniors of the African Diaspora. By integrating, Arts therapy with traditional and spiritual healing practices, we promote emotional well-being support, resilience, identity, and self-empowerment. Creative expression with community engagement, we provide a holistic approach to mental and emotional wellness, helping seniors navigate isolation, trauma, and cultural displacement. The Physical, social, and cultural activities strengthen healthy aging, intergenerational connections, and a
strong sense of belonging.
9. Annual Festivals and Community Events
We celebrate diversity, culture, and community spirit through signature events that nurture connection and cultural pride: Harambeecouver Afro Folk Music Festival and Reconciliation Parade – A powerful platform for artistic expression, cultural exchange, and community unity.
The annual Mashujaa Black History Beyond February the Diversity Soccer Tournament, Pancake Breakfast, the %K and 10K Marathon, the recognition of excellence within the Black community while promoting inclusivity and sportsmanship. Through these programs, initiatives, and celebrations, we continue to empower communities, strengthen resilience, and create inclusive spaces where culture, heritage, and identity thrive.
There are times when we have challenges getting support we need. Whether it’s online, on the phone, or in community, there are a number of options available to help find that support free of charge.
Going to school, working, or being part of a training program help to improve our health and wellbeing. Sometimes it is hard to do these things on our own. At Great Lakes Networking Society’s Education and Work Program aims to help increase health and wellness of young people by supporting them in doing the things that they want to do. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when you’re accessing support and or services for the first time. At Great Lakes Society , Education and Work programs, we focus on meeting young people where they are at, offering them:
Individualized, person-centered care; New, creative and innovative ways to job search or explore educational opportunities; Compassionate, non-judgmental support; Engagement of Employment specialists who have knowledge and training in co-existing mental health concerns; Help from an employment specialist with created education, volunteer or employment plan based on youths’ interests. In addition to help with employment and education, you will connect to our other of our support and services (peer support, counselling, etc.) to ensure you feel supported in all areas of your life.
In terms of time commitment, you can continue the program for as long or as little as you like, based on your unique need. We as well apply trauma-informed approach based on arts, culture, and sport for play to improve young people’s well being, including refugees.
Other programs are building Communities through Arts and Heritage program, created to help celebrate our community, both its past and its present. This program increases opportunities for our local artists, artisans, heritage performers or specialists who are involved in the community through our annual festivals, events and projects.
Program seeks to remove barriers and increase sport participation rates for underrepresented groups.
We sense everyone’s hectic schedule and know that, the only way for truly everyone to understand a subject is by practicing it in a real and safe environment. This is why we set a playground/Platforms area or Libraries at least few moments of exercises, questions, challenges, with sometimes food, gaming and leisure activities. With long-term Seniors Day activities in the near future
Female Genital Mutilation
Circumcision happens between birth and 8 years of age or before 15 years. Although health workers may circumcise females using aseptic technique, medically untrained persons usually perform circumcisions without anesthesia in non-medical settings. Some women vividly recall their circumcision as a traumatic and painful experience while others have no memory of the procedure and recall their circumcision as a celebration.
On January 6th, 2014, we launched our Swahili classes, starting with just five students and a curriculum developed with the support of Jacky Omondi. The Swahili language, or Kiswahili, is a Bantu language deeply rooted in African heritage. It has absorbed elements from other languages, particularly Arabic, due to the influence of the Quran in Swahili-speaking Muslim communities.
Swahili is spoken along the East Coast of Africa, from Lamu Island in Kenya to Tanzania’s southern border. Known for its simplicity, Swahili is often considered one of the easiest non-European languages to learn, making it an attractive choice for those looking to expand their linguistic skills beyond Romance and Germanic languages. Learning Swahili not only enriches your language abilities but also offers a unique cultural connection to the Swahili people, whose culture is shaped by the rich history of the African Great Lakes Region.
At the Great Lakes Society, our Swahili program is more than just language instruction; it is a celebration of Swahili culture and an exploration of the arts and traditions of the Swahili people. By offering these classes, we aim to promote cultural understanding and appreciation, fostering a deeper connection to the diverse heritage of the African Great Lakes Region
HAKUNA MATATA – No worries
JAMBO – Hi
HABARI YAKO- How are you?
Mwagaribiswa Nyote
Kuja Tusome pamoja, Bila matata
Asanteni sana
The first lesson is Free – Kabisa
http://theconversation.com/why-its-good-news-that-swahili-is-coming-to-south-african-schools-104007
Global Africa – Our First ever Virtual Class of “The Decade For The People Of African Descent – 2021 – 9th October, the class will recognize and promote – The International Decade for People of African Descent, established by the UN Member States, testifies to their will to grant due consideration to women, men and children of African descent and the African diaspora. As a duty of justice, its main objective is to reinforce the actions and measures securing the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights of people of African Descent/African diasporas, to the full and equal participation. This Decade was adopted to eradicate social injustices inherited from history and to fight against racial prejudices and discrimination that people of African Descent, African diaspora still face today. It also contributes to greater knowledge, appreciation, respect for people of African descent/African diaspora, and our contribution to the economic, social, intellectual, cultural, and ethical development of humanity. People of African descent and African diaspora comprise a heterogeneous group with extremely diverse histories, experiences, cultures, and identities. However, our living conditions, challenges, and the difficulties we face differ depending on the context, our individuals encounter common problems that must be resolved.
Global Africa – Topics – The earliest man and the prehistory of Africa according to geographical areas: North, South, East, West, and Central with the Nile Valley. We will devote this to our prehistoric Culture, Art, Agricultural techniques, the development of Metallurgy etc. The ancient civilization of Egypt for its pre-eminent place in the early history of Africa. We will deal with the civilizations of the major geographical zones, following the pattern of African historical research, namely: the corridor of the Nile, Egypt and Nubia; the Ethiopian highlands; the part of Africa later called the Maghrib and its Saharan hinterland; and, the rest of Africa as well as some of the islands in the Indian Ocean. The History of Africa from the 7th to 11th Century, looking at the (Two) movements to have had a major and lasting cultural, political and economic significance on the Continent’s history during these two periods: The Increase influence of Islam and its dissemination and interaction with traditional African culture in Western/Northern regions, and the Bantu expansion in the south. Placing Africa in the context of world history at the opening of the 7th century before examining the general impact of Islamic penetration; the continuing expansion of the Bantu-speaking peoples; and the growth of civilizations in the Sudanic zones of West Africa. Discussion on the successive Islamic dynasties of North Africa and their wider contacts; the East African coast/interior; Central the Horn of Africa; Africa; Southern Africa; and Madagascar’s internal development/international contacts. Tracing the African Diaspora in Asia; examining international relations, the spread of technology and ideas within Africa; and assessing the overall impact of the period on African history.
Africa from the 20th to the 16th century. This period constitutes a crucial phase in our continent’s history in which Africa developed its own culture and written records which became more common. There were several major characteristic themes: the triumph of Islam; the extension of trading relations, cultural exchanges, human contacts; the development of kingdoms, empires, and the people. We will look at various civilizations of West Africa – Mali, Songhay, the Niger Bend, the Volta Basin, Uganda, Chad, Gulf of Guinea, the Hausa and the Coastal peoples from the Casamance to modern Cameroon. North-east and East Africa, starting with Egypt and going on to Nubia, Ethiopia, and the States of the Horn of Africa, including material on the development of the Swahili civilization. The Central Africa which represents the area between the coast, the Great Lakes, the inter-lacustrine region, the basins of the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. On Equatorial Africa and Angola, southern Africa and Madagascar and neighboring islands. Haiti – THE FIRST INDEPENDENT BLACK COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Haiti, a country situated on the Hispaniola Island in the Caribbean archipelago, is rich in history, as it was home to the first successful slave revolt in and, subsequently, the first Black country to win its independence. Afterward, poverty, natural disasters, political instability, and racial discord soon followed. African House in Britain ‘Africa House’ was opened in 1933 at 62 Camden Road with funds raised in West Africa, a substantial mid-Victorian property that today lies at the end of a jumble of shops facing Sainsbury’s supermarket. The organization was co-founded in 1925 by the brilliant Nigerian lawyer Ladipo Solanke. Solanke had come to London a few years earlier to complete his legal studies at University College. Fed up with the colour bar that denied African students like himself university accommodation, he campaigned for the purchase of a house in Camden Town to be used as a hostel.
YOUTH CHEZA MIJEZO PROGRAM
Outreach Peer Support (Freshii)
Street Level Outreach Initiative/Peer Support. We offer practical assistance, spiritual guidance/counseling, and referrals with Addiction Support – “Freshii, Positive Approach is our out-reach program where we provide fresh gear or equipment (syringes/Needles). “Get Freshii Supplies, Do Not Share Needles and or Syringes”. Our team works at Night time providing – Harm reduction supplies, to clients, who are equipped with knowledge, and equipment that helps reduce infections, like HIV or Hepatitis, they are referred to other services providers or given telephone numbers to different detoxing centers etc.