DSS projects
Q-Elders
• Status: inaugurated / ongoing
June 28th 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Revolution. Dignity Seniors Society (DSS) is delighted to commemorate this important moment in history with the launch of our Q-Elders Project.
The goal of the Q-Elders Project is to identify, honour and celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ elders in British Columbia. These are individuals who have contributed to the flourishing of our communities through their leadership, altruism, and courage.
We Are Familee
• Status: inaugurated 2024 / ongoing
• Partnership: Healthcare Excellence Canada / Haro Park Centre / United for Volunteering
• Update - Oct. 2024: call for volunteers
Dignity Seniors Society (DSS)’s "We Are Familee" program is a pilot volunteer initiative aimed at supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors to age in place (“Aging In Place”). DSS will conduct an environmental scan of Metro Vancouver to assess existing services, identify gaps, and recommend improvements.
In partnership with Haro Park Centre Society, volunteers will be recruited to support seniors using a circle of support model.
The program will develop video training modules focusing on the specific needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, incorporating a strength-based, trauma-informed approach to reduce stigma and discrimination, while promoting cultural and intersectionality awareness.
By creating a sustainable, volunteer-led initiative, the "We Are Familee" program aims to address the systemic challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, particularly those experiencing social isolation, poverty, and health inequities.
Upon completion, DSS plans to replicate the initiative across British Columbia, offering specialized training for other "Aging in Place" programs, leveraging their history of providing education to health authorities and non-profit organizations in the healthcare field.
Implementation Approach
Environmental scan: conduct an environmental scan of Metro Vancouver to assess current services for 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, identify gaps, and provide recommendations for improvement.
Pilot volunteer program in collaboration with Haro Park Centre Society. Volunteers will support 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors at Haro Park Centre through comprehensive services including weekly/bi-weekly social visits, appointment accompaniment, emotional support, advocacy, and connecting clients to community groups, events, and online support systems.
Develop video training modules: create online training modules covering cultural and intersectionality awareness, best practices for supporting aging 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors, volunteer safety, boundaries, and self-care. These modules will be based on advisory member feedback and ongoing volunteer input, initially for pilot project volunteers, with future expansion to other organizations providing aging in place services.
We Are Family is the third studio album by the American R&B vocal group Sister Sledge, released in the U.S. in January 1979. The album features the hit single We Are Family, recognised by many 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors and older adults.
In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The song has become an expression of solidarity in various contexts.
Dignity Seniors Society has chosen the anthem - stylized as We Are Familee - as a fun and nostalgic way to indicate our solidarity in being part of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors chosen family support network. 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️