the Regina Project

Project Update - November 1999

Project Documents

Two documents are being produced as part of the Seniors' Quality of Life Project - an Action Plan and Seniors' Resource Materials.

• Action Plan - The Action Plan is written for government officials as well as for seniors. It outlines some of the issues and concerns facing seniors and describes actions that municipal, provincial and federal government agencies and community groups can take to enhance seniors' quality of life. You have reviewed the first draft of this document, and I am presently working on the second draft. The second draft will be done in about three weeks.
 
• Seniors' Resource Materials - This document will be called Speak Up, Speak Out. It will be written specifically for seniors and will describe ways that seniors can make their voices heard and influence public policy regarding issues that are of concern to them. Topics covered will include the importance of voting; how to make your opinions known through letters to elected officials, letters to the editor, petitions, etc.; how to organize a demonstration; how to get publicity for your cause, etc. I am presently working on the first draft of this and will have it done in about three weeks.
  

Public Information Activities to Date

The following public information activities have been completed. Their purpose is to inform seniors, government officials and the public about the existence of our project.

• Media release - Our media release went out in early September. It went to: 
  • all daily and weekly newspapers in Saskatchewan
  • many Saskatchewan seniors' organizations, some of whom have newsletters 
  • all electronic media in Saskatchewan
  • all University of Regina staff via the U of R e-mail system
   
• University of Toronto, Seniors Quality of Life website - www.utoronto.ca/seniors. A detailed description of our project appears on this web site under the heading "Regional Projects"
  
• University of Regina, Seniors' Education Centre website - www.uregina.ca/extnsion/seniors/index.html. Information about our project appears this website
  
• Class announcements - The project was described in some of the Seniors' Education Centre classes. This was done both to publicize the project and to recruit possible interview participants.
  
• Article in Seniors' Education Centre Newsletter - A short article about our project will appear in the fall SEC Newsletter.
  
• Information packages - Information packages about our project have been sent to the following people:
  • Regina Mayor and all members of City Council
  • Judy Junor, Minister Responsible for Seniors
  • Pat Atkinson, Minister of Health
  • Glenn Hagel, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training
  • Jim Melenchuk, Minister of Education
  • Premier Roy Romanow & Deputy Premier Dwain Lingenfelter received copies of these letters
  • Elwin Hermanson, Leader of the Opposition
  • Con Hnatiuk, Deputy Minister of Health
  • Dan Perrins, Deputy Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training

 

Social Action Activities

After the Action Plan and the Seniors' Resource Materials are done, I will focus on providing a framework for social action activities. The intent is to provide background materials so that the members of our committee and other interested seniors can assume ownership over social action activities and continue these activities throughout 2000. Possible activities include:

• Official presentation - presenting our reports to Judy Junor, Minister Responsible for Seniors (I don't know if it will be possible to arrange this, but I will work with the U or R's Public Affairs Office to try to set it up.)
  
• Media release - to both seniors' organizations and mainstream media
  
• Website information - summaries of the Action Plan and the Seniors' Resource Materials will be placed on both the University of Toronto Seniors' Quality of Life website and the Seniors' Education Centre website
  
• Media interviews - I will prepare samples of questions and answers that might be asked during a media interview, so that any member of our committee or other interested seniors could give a good interview. (I don't know if it will be possible to get media interviews for members of our committee, but I will work with the U of R's Public Affairs Office to try to set these up.)
  
• Workshops - I will prepare a pre-packaged workshop on the topic of Speak Up, Speak Out. It will give practical suggestions for social action and for influencing public policy. The workshop will be designed for delivery to seniors and will include a presenter's script and handouts. It will be organized so that any member of our committee or other interested seniors can deliver it without specialized expertise
  
• Presentations - I will prepare speaking notes, so that any member of our committee or other interested seniors can give presentations to church groups, community organizations, SAHO, service clubs, Mayor and City Council, etc.
  
• Newsletter and newspaper articles - I will prepare an article for the SEC newsletter and will try to get this article on the seniors' page of the Regina Sun and similar small community newspapers
  
• Distribution of information through the Seniors' Mechanism - Frank Bellamy has generously offered to arrange for distribution of information through the Seniors' Mechanism. Later in our project we can identify the information that we want to distribute in this way.

Results from Regina

Action Plan Speak Up, Speak Out Elected Officials Workshop guidelines Speaking notes

Project Updates
Oct. 2000
Apr. 2000
Dec. 1999
Nov. 1999

 Coordinating Committee