This past June, the Church of the Apostles in Guelph piloted a new public forum called Crucial Conversations. Run as an extension of the Living Better on Less (LBOL) Program, the forum invites leaders in the community to speak on topics covered in the program in standalone sessions. Our sessions have included community leaders speaking on Food Security and Healthy Aging.
LBOL Coordinator John Dennis said “the idea for Crucial Conversations came from the feedback that we received from LBOL program participants. A number of people commented that they found the discussion around certain topics to be enlightening and that many people could benefit from in-depth discussions on these topics”.
LBOL is a free educational program developed at the Church of the Apostles in 2009. LBOL provides information to participants about living a healthy and simpler life by consuming less, spending less, and treading softly on the earth. The program is run over 6 sessions, each module focusing on a specific issue.
Crucial Conversations sessions last for about two hours with two speakers presenting and an extended question period. The first session had Guelph MPP, Mike Shreiner, and the Executive Director of the SEED, Tom Armitage, speaking about food security. They both talked about the changes in food security related to the pandemic, land use, and inflation. Audience members asked questions of the speakers and shared personal stories related to food security.
“I always enjoy seeing the social connections that are made at these events,” said Kim Logue, who is the Facilitator for the LBOL Program and Crucial Conversations. “Living Better on Less sessions always result in the sharing of ideas and experiences, fostering collaboration and innovation and building relationships.”
The second session was called “Healthy Aging and the Power of Flowers” and delved into memory loss, using your senses, and horticultural therapy, presented by Robin Smart from the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington and Heidi Toreitter from the Guelph Enabling Garden. During the session Heidi Toreitter had audience members looking at, smelling, listening to, and even tasting flowers that had been freshly picked from the Guelph Enabling Garden.
Additional sessions are planned for 2025 with topics including “Housing as a Right” and “Why is the internet trying to steal your money?”.
Exploring Important Topics with Crucial Conversations
This past June, the Church of the Apostles in Guelph piloted a new public forum called Crucial Conversations. Run as an extension of the Living Better on Less (LBOL) Program, the forum invites leaders in the community to speak on topics covered in the program in standalone sessions. Our sessions have included community leaders speaking on Food Security and Healthy Aging.
LBOL Coordinator John Dennis said “the idea for Crucial Conversations came from the feedback that we received from LBOL program participants. A number of people commented that they found the discussion around certain topics to be enlightening and that many people could benefit from in-depth discussions on these topics”.
LBOL is a free educational program developed at the Church of the Apostles in 2009. LBOL provides information to participants about living a healthy and simpler life by consuming less, spending less, and treading softly on the earth. The program is run over 6 sessions, each module focusing on a specific issue.
Crucial Conversations sessions last for about two hours with two speakers presenting and an extended question period. The first session had Guelph MPP, Mike Shreiner, and the Executive Director of the SEED, Tom Armitage, speaking about food security. They both talked about the changes in food security related to the pandemic, land use, and inflation. Audience members asked questions of the speakers and shared personal stories related to food security.
“I always enjoy seeing the social connections that are made at these events,” said Kim Logue, who is the Facilitator for the LBOL Program and Crucial Conversations. “Living Better on Less sessions always result in the sharing of ideas and experiences, fostering collaboration and innovation and building relationships.”
The second session was called “Healthy Aging and the Power of Flowers” and delved into memory loss, using your senses, and horticultural therapy, presented by Robin Smart from the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington and Heidi Toreitter from the Guelph Enabling Garden. During the session Heidi Toreitter had audience members looking at, smelling, listening to, and even tasting flowers that had been freshly picked from the Guelph Enabling Garden.
Additional sessions are planned for 2025 with topics including “Housing as a Right” and “Why is the internet trying to steal your money?”.
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