Building sustainable Age-friendly communities through partnerships and community connection

REGISTER HERE

BC Healthy Communities is hosting a free webinar exploring how municipalities and Indigenous governments can build more sustainable age-friendly communities through meaningful partnerships and collaborative leadership.

As British Columbia’s population ages, communities face growing pressure to adapt programs, services, and policies to better meet the needs of older residents. The webinar will examine how cross-sector collaboration — spanning local and Indigenous governments, regional health authorities, and community organizations — can strengthen the resilience and inclusivity of age-friendly initiatives over the long term.

The session will be led by Mario Paris, Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at the Université de Moncton and a leading voice in social gerontology. For more than a decade, Paris has studied the Age-friendly Cities program across Quebec, New Brunswick, and at the national and international levels. His research also spans community-based housing models for older adults and the intersection of climate change and population aging.

Drawing on his extensive research, Paris will cover both theoretical frameworks and practical strategies for relationship-building and shared leadership, offering participants tools they can apply directly in their own communities.

BC Healthy Communities will also use the webinar to introduce its new Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) Recognition Program, which is designed to celebrate community achievements and encourage continued action toward Age-friendly goals. The program aims to help communities build momentum and advance sustainability by recognizing progress and supporting ongoing improvement.

The webinar is open to anyone working in or interested in age-friendly community development, from those just getting started to experienced practitioners looking to deepen their impact.